Al-Waraqat of Imam Al-Juvaini (A Classical Manual On Usul Al-Fiqh)

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Al-Waraqat of Imam Al-Juvaini (A classical manual on Usul Al-Fiqh)
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The Waraqat
of Imam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni, a classical manual of
Usul Al Fiqh
Compilation, Research and Commentary by:
AUSTRALIAN ISLAMIC LIBRARY

www.australianislamiclibrary.org
[O You who Believe, fear Allah. And let every soul look
to what it has sent on for tomorrow. Fear Allah, surely
Allah is well-acquainted with what you do. And do not
be like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget
their own souls. Such are the rebellious transgressors.]
(Al-Hashr 59:18-19)
‫قال رسول اهلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‬

‫ والدال عىل اخلري كفاعله‬،‫كل معروف صدقة‬
(‫)البخارى ومسلم‬
‫من دعا إىل هدى كان له من األجر مثل أجور من تبعه ال ينقص ذلك من أجورهم شيئا‬
(‫)مسلم‬
ِ ‫عاونوا عَىلَ اإل‬ ِ ِ َ‫وتَعاونوا عَىل‬
ِ‫العدوان‬
ُ ‫ِثم َو‬ َ َ‫الب َوالتَّقوى ۖ َوال ت‬
ّ َ َ
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Compilation, Research and Commentary:
THE WARAQAT OF IMAM AL-HARAMAYN AL-JUWAYNI, A CLASSICAL MANUAL OF USUL AL FIQH

by Muhammad Nabeel Musharraf
is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial –Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Licence Conditions:
Share Alike, Attribute to Australian Islamic Library, Non-Commercial Use only
ISBN: 978-1-329-78803-9
First printed in: December 2015

By Australian Islamic Library
Through lulu.com
Citation:
Musharraf, M., N. (2015). “THE WARAQAT OF IMAM AL-HARAMAYN AL-JUWAYNI, A

CLASSICAL MANUAL OF USUL AL FIQH”, Published by Australian Islamic Library, Perth, Western
Australia. ISBN: 978-1-329-78803-9
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
In the compilation of this book, translations from

Hamza Karamli and David Vishanoff
have beenAllah
May used bless
withthem allmodifications,
slight and raise their ranks
as required.
.
Commentary is based on works of noble
scholars and Imams such as:
Sheikh Ibn Al-Uthaymeen,
Sheikh Abdur Rahman Ibn Nasir As-Saadi,
Sheikh Saleh Al-Munajjid, Sheikh Dr. Bilal Philips,
Sheikh Muhammad Nuruddeen Lemu,
Sheikh Yahya Adel Ibrahim, Sheikh Abu Zaid Zameer
Sheikh Salih Al-Fawzan, Sheikh Sajid Umar,
Dr. Hatem Al-Haj, Dr. Hashim Kamali
Sheikh Saleh As-Saleh, Sheikh Yasir Fahmy Al-Azhari
and others.
May Allah bless them all and raise their ranks.

Australian Islamic Library - 2015
TABLE OF CONTENTS
IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGY ................................................................................................... 4
FOREWORD .................................................................................................................................... 1
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAW AND LEGAL METHODOLOGY ............................. 15
TYPES OF REVELATORY RULINGS: ....................................................................................... 16
TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE: ........................................................................................ 29
SUBDIVISIONS (‫ )أبـواب‬OF THE DISCIPLINE: ....................................................... 32
USING LANGUAGE IN ITS LITERAL AND FIGURATIVE SENSES .................................. 34
TYPES OF SPEECH (‫)أقسام الكالم‬: ................................................................................................... 34
COMMANDS AND PROHIBITIONS ........................................................................................ 42
COMMANDS (‫ )األمــــر‬................................................................................................................... 42
THOSE WHO ARE INCLUDED IN THE AUDIENCE OF COMMANDS AND

PROHIBITIONS AND THOSE WHO ARE NOT ................................................... 44
GENERAL AND SPECIFIC UTTERANCES ............................................................................. 47
GENERAL AND SPECIFIC UTTERANCES AND THEIR TYPES ........................................ 47
CLEAR (MUBAYYAN) AND UNCLEAR (MUJMAL) EXPRESSIONS ................................ 55
THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF PROPHETIC ACTIONS .................................................. 57
ABROGATION (‫ )النســـخ‬................................................................................................................. 60
TYPES OF NASKH IN TERMS WHAT GETS ABROGATED: ............................................... 62
TYPES OF NASKH IN TERMS SOURCE FOR ABROGATION: ........................................... 63
DECODING APPARENT CONFLICTS (‫)التعارض‬: RECONCILIATION VS.

PREPONDERANCE ..................................................................................................................... 65
CONFLICT AND PREPONDERANCE ..................................................................................... 65
2
SCHOLARLY CONSENSUS (‫ )اإلجمــاع‬........................................................................................ 68
TRANSMITTED REPORTS (‫ )األخبــــار‬......................................................................................... 70
WORDING OF TRANSMITTED REPORTS: ............................................................................ 72
ANALOGY (‫)القيـــاس‬....................................................................................................................... 73
PROHIBITION, PERMISSION, AND THE PRESUMPTION OF CONTINUITY................ 77
PRIORITIZATION OF EVIDENCES AND PROOFS:.............................................................. 77
INDEPENDENT INTERPRETATION & FOLLOWING QUALIFIED SCHOLARSHIP .... 79
IJTIHAD, GIVING FATWA ......................................................................................................... 79
FOLLOWING (‫)التقلـــيد‬: .................................................................................................................. 84
DILIGENT INQUIRY (IJTIHAD - ‫)االجتهـــاد‬: ............................................................................... 87
APPENDIX 1: HADITH CLASSIFICATION ............................................................................ 89
COMPONENTS OF HADITH................................................................................... 90
CLASSIFICATIONS OF HADITH ............................................................................ 90
REFERENCES: ............................................................................................................................... 97
3
ABSTRACT
Usul al-Fiqh is a science dealing with Islamic jurisprudence and encompasses

knowledge and skills required of Muslim jurists in deducing rulings. It
elaborates the correct methodology, sources of guidance and approach that is
required to be followed in the process. These requirements and etiquette set
standards for an answer, hukm or fatwa being sound, valid and acceptable to
follow, minimizing the potential for errors. If the correct methodology of Usul
Al-Fiqh is not followed, it results in misguidance and deviant ideologies such as
that of Khwarij, Rawafidh, and the likes. Just as rules of grammar protect those
who follow them from mistakes in expressions, jurisprudence sets standards for
interpreting legal texts and making legal arguments which, when followed
correctly, protect from making mistakes in arriving at legal rulings. Imam al-
Juvaini, in Al-Waraqat, gives a primer on basics of Usul al-Fiqh with regards to
what it encompasses, the rules for interpreting Quran and Sunnah and tools that
are available for mujtahids to utilize in their interpretation of sacred texts and
deducing rulings. Commentary aims to elaborate key concepts mentioned in
this book while keeping in consideration that this book is intended for
beginners and those who have just started their journey to learn the wonderful
field of Usul al-Fiqh.
4
IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGY
While studying translation and commentary, readers may come across the
following terminology. A brief explanation for each term is provided for
reference.
AL-'AM: General AL-HAQAA'IQ : Real Facts; Real Meanings
AAQIL: Sane Person AL-HAZR: Prohibited
ADILLAH: Plural of daleel (proofs) AL-HIL: Allowed
AHAD: Solitary report-refers to any report that is not AL-ISHKAL: Problem

mutawatir.
AL-KHAS: Specific; Particular
AHADITH: Plural of Hadith; Prophetic Traditions and
his ‫ ﷺ‬noble sayings AL-MASALIH AL-MURSALAH: Making consider-
ation of matters which are of public interest (acquisition
AHKAM: Plural of „Hukm; Rulings of good or removal of harm) for which there is no specific
evidence or basis (in relation to it specifically) in the
Ahkam can either be known by intellect (e.g. “2 is Shariah, but which in a general sense would agree with
greater than 1”), experience (e.g. “fire is hot”) or universal Shariah principles and goals. Consideration is
through revelation (e.g. “prayer”, “fasting of Ramadan” made of them in order to help protect and preserve the
etc.). five necessities (life, religion, intellect, wealth and
honour).
Ahkam identified from revelations are called revelatory
rulings or Ahkam ash-Sharia‟a. AL-MUQEEDU BIS-SIFAH: Qualification by an
attribute or the describer
AHL AL-HADITH: The people of hadith; These are the
people who remained stuck to hadith when ra‟y AL-SHART: Condition (also see „Shart‟)
(opinions) were widely used; There aim, then and now,
has been to practice the religion in its purest form AL-TAJAL'LI: Clarity
AHL AL-RA'Y: People of opinion; It is used to refer to AMR: Command

people who used to make use of the principle of ra'y
(opinion) to arrive at rulings at the time when authentic ARDH: Request
ahadith were not readily available to them
ASL: Root; Original Matter
AHL AL-SUNNA WA AL-JAMÂÀ: People of the
Way of the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬and the Congregation [of the AS-SAHI – Forgetful
Muslims]; Also known as Sunni Muslims.
AT-TAQWA: Piety
AKHBAR: Plural of Khabr; News
AYAH or AYAT: The Arabic meaning of Ayah is a
miracle and a sign. The Quran is considered to be a
5
miracle itself. Each verse or sentence is called an Ayah perform it, it is not mandatory on all individuals to do
or a miracle. The plural of Ayah is called Ayat, which this
means miracles.
FATWA: Juridical or legal verdict
AZIZ: Rare; Applied to a hadith, it refers to a type of
ahad narration that has two to four narrators in each FIQH: A deep understanding; Islamically, it refers to
link of its chain and is thus between the level of gharib deduction of practical Islamic rulings from specific
and that of mashhur. proofs
BALAGHAT: The clear and perspicuous style FUQAHA: Plural of Faqih; People with superior
knowledge of fiqh and those who can deduce rulings
BALIGH: Someone who has reached the age of maturity through deep understanding of Shariah sources and
specific proofs
BATIL: Incorrect or Invalid; Null and Void; That which
is not done in the correct manner e.g. praying Salah GHARIB: Singular, obscure; applied to a hadith chain
without wudhu or tayammum (e.g. by al-Tirmidhi in his Sunan), it refers to a type of
ahad narration and means "with a single-narrator
BAYAN: Explanation; Speech; Clarification chain" i.e. with only one narrator among the
Companions and the subsequent links. Applied to the
BUTLAAN: Invalidation; Invalidity hadith content, it refers to something not narrated
anywhere else.
DALAA'IL: Guides; Evidences
HADITH: A successively transmitted report of an
DALEEL: proof; Evidence utterance, deed, affirmation or characteristic of the
Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬
DAWAH: Calling; Inviting others to Islam; Islamic
Missionary work HALAL: Permitted
DHAHIR: Literal or obvious meanings HAQEEQAH: Reality
DHAHIR BIL DALEEL: Apparent by virtue of HAQIQI or HAQEEQI: Truth; Literal; Reality.
evidence Lexically, the real sense as opposed to the figurative
(driven from Haqeeqah)
DHANN: Valid conjecture or speculation of a jurist
about the soundness of a report‟s origin, which does not HARAM: Prohibited
entail more than a probability.
HARAM LI DHATIH: Haram that is haram for its
FAQIH: Person of superior understanding; own sake, such as theft and murder, carrion, spilt blood,
Jurisprudent; Muslim jurist; A Muslim who is and so on, which are forbidden for their inherent
knowledgeable of the rules of the Shariah and knows how enormity;
these rules are related to the source texts upon which
they are based. HARAM LI GHAYRIH: Haram that is haram due to
the presence of an extraneous factor, such as sale which
FAR‘: Branches is used as a disguise for securing usury (riba‟).
FARDH: An obligation; An obligatory act of worship or HARAMAIN: Plural of Haram; It refers to holy
practice of the deen mosques of Makkah and Madinah
FARDH AYN: An action which is obligatory on every HASAN: Good; Often used to describe a hadith which is
Muslim; Individual Obligations reliable, but which is not as well authenticated as the one
which is sahih
FARDH KIFAYA OR FARDH KIFAYAH: A
collective obligation; If some people from the community
2
HUJJAH: Reason; Proof His Apostles, the Last Day, the Foreordained Decree -
both the good and the bad as ordained by Allah - and
HUKM or HUKAM: Ruling; Command Resurrection after death. The attribute of the mu'min
(believer).
HUKM AL-WAD‘EE: Declaratory law (a branch of
Hukm ash-shar‟ee), that is, law which regulates the IQAAMA: The call which announces that the
proper implementation of al-Hukm al-takleefee, such as obligatory prayer is about to begin.
by expounding the conditions, exceptions and
qualifications thereof; Secondary rules ISNAD: Chain of transmission
HUKM ASH-SHAR‘EE: A command from Allah ISTIHSAN: Istihsan literally means to deem something
concerning the conduct of the person, who is mukallaf, preferable. In its juristic sense, Istihsan is a method of
consisting of a demand (i.e. an obligation to do or an exercising personal opinion (ra‟y) in order to avoid any
obligation not do), an option (i.e. choice whether we can unfairness
do something or not do that e.g. voluntary fasting), or
an enactment (reason, condition, valid and invalid e.g. ISTINBAT (‫)االستىباط‬: Inference, deducing a somewhat
offering prayers at certain times). hidden meaning from a given text.
The criterion of what is lawful (halal) and unlawful From another point of view, if a new case arises that
(haram) are set by the Qur‟an and Sunnah and is does not have any parallel in the cases a faqih knows,
referred to as Hukm Shari‟i or Hukm Ash-Shar‟ee (the then he or she can invoke a qaidah (maxim) as a kind of
Divine Law). partial evidence to support a ruling. This is called
Istinbat. Accordingly, the Qaeda is from the Quran and
HUKM AT-TAKLEEFEE: Primary Rules or defining Sunnah in terms of purpose and objective, but not in
law (a branch of hukm ash-shar‟ee); `Defining law' is a wording, so the wording in this case is derived. It is
locution or communication from the Lawgiver addressed called Istanbati -‫( استىباطي‬i.e. something that is derived).
to the mukallaf which consists of a demand or of an
option; it occurs in the five varieties of wajib, mandoob, ISTISLAH: Seeking the better rule for the public good
haram, makruh and mubah (according to majority).
ISTISNA: Exception
IBADAH: Worship
JAA'IZ: Allowed
IBAHAH: Permissibility
JAHL: Ignorance
IF‗AL: The imperative
JAHL AL-MURRAKAB: Ignorance by which one
IJAZA: Permission and authorization to narrate believes something to be different than what it really is
traditions on someone‟s authority e.g. considering Jesus to be God
IJMA: Scholarly Consensus JAHL BASIT: Not having information regarding

something, and thus being ignorant of it e.g. not
IJTIHAAD AL-MADHHABI: Ijtihaad based on the knowing regarding what is at the bottom of the sea
study of different views
JAMHOOR: Majority
IJTIHAD or IJTIHAAD: This word is driven from the
root letters Ja-ha-da – which mean to make an effort; In KALAAM: Speech; It also refers to studies of
the context of jurisprudence, it refers to independent philosophy and logic
jurisprudential investigation when deducing legal
rulings from Shariah sources. KHABR: News
ILLAH (‫)علة‬: Effective cause KHWARIJ: Separatists; Those of Ahl al-Bid‟aa

(innovators in religion) who, in any day and age, fight
IMAAN: Belief, faith in Allah, His angels, His Books, against the caliph and/or against the mainstream Ulema
3
of the Muslims and their commonality by force of arms right to simplify one‟s life. For example in Islam, one has
and/or recourse to anathema which includes falsely the right to shorten his prayers while on a journey. After
declaring others disbelievers, pagans, misguided, cultists ease in life is achieved, there is „Tahsiniyyat‟ or
and so forth. Embellishments; which is enjoying the luxuries in life
like wearing good clothes and eating good food.
KINAYAH: Allusive; Indirect
MASAA'IL: "That which is asked about"; an issue in
KUFR: Disbelief Fiqh.
MADARASA: School; Place of education MASHHUR : Famous; Applied to a hadith, it refers to a

type of ahad narration that has five to nine narrators at
MADHAAHIB: Plural form of Madhab which each link of its chain and is therefore nearly mass-
means"school of thought" i.e. the sum total of the legal narrated.
rulings of the founder of that Madhhab, as well as those
of his students and all scholars who adhered to his MASLAHAH: Benefit
approach.
MASLAHAH MURSALAH: Benefit or interest;
MADHHAB: Path; A School of Law (madhhab fiqhi) in Unrestricted public interest (Also see: AL-MASALIH
Islam AL-MURSALAH)
MAHZOOR: Prohibited MASNOON: Recommended
MAJAAZ: Figurative meaning MIQYAS: Scales
MAKROOH: ‗Better not to do‟ Things - Something MU‘TAZILITES: Isolationists; A deviant sect who
which is not liked but if done is not a sin. made reason the ultimate criterion of truth, forged a
political alliance with the Shia and, like them, held the
MANDOOB: That which has been commanded but not Qur'an to be created and the Attributes to be null in
in the manner of making it obligatory; One who adopts themselves and to mean none other than the Essence;
it is rewarded and the one who does not, is not sinning These are known to reject hadith despite the fact that
Quran cannot be completely understood without
MANSUKH: Abrogated text or ruling in the Quran or referring to hadith and sunnah of the messenger of Allah
hadith ‫ﷺ‬
MAQASID: Purposes; Objectives MUBAH: Lawful; Allowed; That which belongs to you
or you have the permission of the owner to use; Your
MAQASID ASH-SHARIAH: Purposes and Objectives belongings
of Shariah. Maqasid Al-Shariah means the objective of
the Shariah Laws. This is a very important field of MUBAYYAN: Explicit
knowledge because when you study the Shariah Laws
you must understand the context in which the ruling MUBAYYIN: One who makes clear
was made.
MUBEEN: Clear
According to Imam Ghazali the objective of the Shariah
Law is to protect the well-being of the people which lies MUFTI: One who issues legal opinions and responses
in the safeguarding of their faith (deen), their lives
(nafs), their intellect (aql), their posterity (nasl) and MUHADITH: Hadith Scholar; It is singular form of
their wealth (mal). The underlying theme is the „Muhaditheen‟
realisation of the benefit for the people (maslahah) or
public interest. These are called „Dharuriyyah‟. MUHKAM: Equivocal and singular in meaning
After the „Dharuriyyah‟ is fulfilled, there is the‟ MUJMAL: Comprehensive

Hajjiyat‟ or Complementary. In „Hajiyyat‟, one has the
4
MUJTAHID: Qualified to exercise ijtihad sometimes, with sunnah.
MUKALLAF: Legally responsible person, i.e. one who MU'TAH: Temporary marriage that is not allowed
has reached the Islamic legal age of maturity, and thus anymore. Shiites, however, still practice this.
has become responsible for performing Islamic duties
and meets all relevant requirements MUTASHAABIH: The Intricate; Scholars like At-
Tabri use this word for verses that only Allah
MUKALLAFEEN: Plural of Mukallaf understand (e.g. Ilif, Laam, Meem). Other scholars also
include those verses in Mutashabihat (plural of
MUNQATI': Broken; A hadith whose link anywhere mutashaaabih) which can have many meanings.
before the successor (i.e., closer to the traditionalist
recording the hadith) is missing. MUTAKALLIM: Singular of mutakallimun; Expert in
kalam; The one who speaks
MUQALLIDEEN: Those who do taqleed; those who
follow someone in their religion MUTAWATIR: Mass-narrated; Applies to a narration
that has, at each link of its transmission chain, a number
MUQAYYAD: Restricted of narrators such as precludes collusion and collective
fabrication on their part, forming tawatur. The
MURJI‘ITES: It is a deviant sect which believed that sin determination of that number varies among the scholars
does not spoil belief as goodness does not benefit of hadith.
disbelief. They believed that faith is a private matter and
those who denounce faith by their tongue, their actions MUTLAQ: Absolute
and their adherence to another faith may still be from the
folks of paradise. There are three distinct levels within NAAFIL or NAFIL: Optional or voluntary acts of
this group. worship
Jahmite Murji‟ism - Those who claim that Imaan is NAHY: Prohibition

merely knowledge alone. Some of the leading scholars of
the Salaf declared this group to be disbelievers. NASIKH: Abrogating text
The Karraamites - Those who restrict the Imaan to the NASKH: Abrogation
profession on the tongue without including the
[affirmation of the] heart. NASS: Textually explicit legal statement; Explicit texts
Murji‟ite Legists - Those who state that Imaan is belief NASUS: Plural of Nass
in the heart and profession on the tongue and they
remove deeds from the definition of Imaan. QAIDAH: Rule
MURSAL: Dispatched; A hadith of the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬ QATI‘I – Definite

narrated with a chain missing the Companion-link or,
sometimes, a lower link through irsal. QIYAS: Analogical deduction of Islamic laws (New
laws are deduced from old laws based on a similarity
MUSNAD: Founded; In terms of usul al hadith - a between their causes).
narration or compilation of narrations that are
supported by a narrative chain going back to the Prophet RAFIDI‘ITES or RAWAFIDH: Those who reject or
‫ﷺ‬. refuse; This refers to Shiites who refuse to accept
authority of many noble companions of Prophet
MUSTAFTI: The inquirer; The questioner; The one who Muhammad, mothers of believers and some of the core
is seeking a fatwa tenants of Islamic faith
MUSTAHABB or MUSTAHAB: Desirable; RAKAT OR RAKAH: One cycle of standing, bowing

Something which if done is rewarded. If it is not done and prostrations during Prayer
there is no sin; Synonymous with mandoob and also,
5
RA'Y: Opinion or personal opinion; Personal reasoning Prophet Muhammad ‫)ﷺ‬
SAHABAH: Companions of Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ TAALIB AL-‗ILM: Seeker of knowledge
SAHIH: Correct, Authentic, Valid TAA‘RUD: Conflict of equal strength evidences
SALAF: Previous; The early Muslims, of the first three TABI‘EEN: „Followers‟ or „Successors‟ – refers to the
eras i.e. The Companions, their Successors, and their second generation of Muslims who came after the
successors. Companions
SALAT UL JINAZA: The Muslim funeral prayer TAFSIR: Exegesis; Explanation of Quran
SARIH: Clear TAHAARAH: Purification
SHAARI': Law Giver TAHLIL: To make legal
SHAKK: Doubt TAHRIM: Forbiddance
SHARIAH: The divine code of Law; The term Shariah TAKHSEES: Restriction; restriction of the meaning of a
refers to divine guidance as given by the Holy Quran text; To make something specific
and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬and
embodies all aspects of the Islamic faith, including beliefs TAKHSIS AL AMM: Specification of a part of Al-
and practice. Amm (generic)
SHART: A necessary condition, a stipulation in a TALAB: Want; Requirements

contract, something which needs to exist or be present in
order for something (like a transaction) to be valid. Also TAMAN: Wish
a condition or stipulation in a contract. Plural of Shart
is Shurut. TAQLEED: Following; In terms of Fiqh, taqleed is the
acceptance of the saying of a person without argument.
SHRIK: Making partners with Alllah
TARJEEH: Preference of one over the other
SIWAK: Miswak (piece of a branch of tree used to clean
teeth) TAWATUR: Continuity
SUNNAH: Road or practice(s); Standard practice, TAWFIQUE: Success; Reconciliation

primarily of the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬, including his sayings,
deeds, tacit approvals or disapprovals TAWHID: Oneness of Allah
SUNNAH MU‘AKKADAH: An act that was always THAWAB: Reward

performed by the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬, but
occasionally omitted so as to differentiate from ULEMA: Scholars; Those who possess „ilm‟ or
something that is Wajib. The status of a Sunnat-e- knowledge
Mu‟akkadah is near a Wajib.
UMMAH: Nation of Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬
The opposite of it is SUNNAH GHAIR
MU‟AKKADAH - The Messenger of Allah had URF: Customary practice
performed such an act, but also omitted it without any
reason. USUL: Plural of Asl; Basis; Roots
SUNNI: Those who follow Sunnah (traditions of USUL AL FIQH: Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence;
Islamic legal theory providing principles and guidelines
6
on interpretation; The bases or roots of jurisprudence WAJIBAT: Plural of Wajib
USUL AL-HADITH: Science that investigates WUJOOB: Obligation

foundations of hadith and sunnah including analysis of
the chain of narrators, text, transmission, biography of YAQEEN: Certainty
narrators, classification and so on.
WAHAM or WAHM: Doubt
WAJIB AYN: See Fardh Ayn
WAJIB KIFAYA: See fardh kifayah
7
FOREWORD
All Praise is due to Allah, we praise Him, we seek His aid, and we seek His forgiveness.
We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and from the evils of our actions.
Whomsoever Allah guides, then there is no one to misguide him, and whomsoever Allah
leaves to go astray, then there is no one to guide him.
‫ وأشهد أن حممدا رسول اهلل‬،‫أشهد أن ال إله إال اهلل‬

‫حممد وعىل آلِه وصحبِه وسلِّم‬ ِ ‫صل عىل‬
َّ ‫سي ّدنا‬ ِ ّ ‫اللهم‬
َّ
Before we begin with translation and commentary of Al-Waraqat of Imam Al-
Juvaini, we consider it useful to present a broad overview of the topic, book at
hand and its author. Following few passages throw some light on these aspects.
About the Topic – Usul Al Fiqh:
Usul al-fiqh refers to the body of evidence, principles, methods and approaches
that Islamic jurists utilise to provide rulings, fatwas and solutions to problems.
Understanding the research mechanisms deployed through the use of Usul Al

Fiqh, we come to know how to do scholars analyse various sources of Islamic
law and comes up with certain legal rulings. Understanding these usuls (or
principles), we also learn to appreciate and respect difference of opinion among
the learned scholars and Imams.
1
―Through Usul al-fiqh, we also learn that, positions that are not constructed by
referring to the principles and means found in the sciences [of Fiqh] are
positions which are not considered acceptable to follow, because they are
constructed and concluded without properly attending to acceptable research
methodology, and, therefore, have no binding authority. Authoritative
positions in Islam are only concluded and constructed by way of proper
research techniques. These techniques guide research by outlining what
constitutes a source for research and what principles are to be used to
understand that source. Furthermore, the techniques emphasize how, when,
and why a rule is derived from that source under research and what
qualifications must he or she possess as a researcher in order to qualify for such
an undertaking‖1.
Knowledge of this field can therefore play and important role in letting us
protect ourselves from the misguided individuals and sects.
Generally, the study of Usul al-Fiqh incorporates the study of the following four
main branches (Al-Haddad, 2008):
Note: An explanation of some of the important terms used in following points, have
been explained in footnotes. Readers who do not already have an introductory overview
of Usul Al Fiqh, can opt to skip them for the time being and come back for a review after
going through some chapters in this book.
1 (Yusuf Rios, 2013)
2
i) Islamic sources (or evidence) on which all of the ahkam 2 have been
based. These are texts of the Quran and the authentic Sunnah as well as
the consensus of the Companions3. This also includes the discussion of
proof [adillah], their types and their authority. Some of these adillah are
Qiyas4, Istihsan5, ‗Urf6, al-Masalih al-Mursalah7, etc.8
2 Ahkam means ‗Rulings‘
3 Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
If we say Quran, Sunnah and ijmaa‟, they all stem from the same source, because the
Messenger ‫ ﷺ‬agrees with everything that is in the Quran, and the Ummah is
unanimously agreed upon it in general. There is no one among the believers who does
not believe that it is obligatory to follow the Book. And everything that the Prophet
enjoined in his Sunnah, the Quran obliged us to follow it. So the believers are
unanimously agreed upon that, and everything on which the Muslims are unanimously
agreed can only be true and in accordance with what is in the Quran and Sunnah.
(al-Munajjid, 2014c)
4Qiyas is the extension of a Shariah ruling from an original case (Asl) to a new case (Far') -
given the new case has the same effective cause (Illah) as the original case.
(A later section in this book elaborates this concept further)
5 Istihsan literally means to deem something preferable (or to declare something better).
Istihsan has been validated by Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali jurists. Imam Shafi‘i does not
consider this as a valid source.
Sheikh Sajid Umar explain it as follows:

Istihsan is to leave a daleel for another daleel because of a daleel – i.e.
leaving a practice identified through some evidence
for a practice identified through some other evidence(s)
because of another daleel or evidence which teaches us to go to that particular
evidence which we decide to go to or prefer.
(Sheikh Sajid Umar, 2013a)
Those who advocate Istihsan mention:
―It has been mentioned that decision of Umar Bin Khattab R.A. to suspend ‗hadd‘ penalty
(penalty prescribed by the Quran and Sunnah) of amputation of hand during famine is an
3
example of Istihsan. Here positive law of Islam was suspended as an exceptional measure
in an exceptional situation. A major jurist Al-Sarakhsi considers Istihsan as a method of
seeking facility and ease in legal injunctions and is in accord with the Quran (2:185)‖.
(Shah Abdul Hannan, 2005)
Dr. Hashim Kamali gives following as an example for a contemporary situation for
implementation of Istihsan:
Oral testimony was the standard form of evidence in Islamic law. However, now in some
cases photography, sound recording and laboratory analysis have become more reliable
means of proof. Here is a case of Istihsan by which method we can prefer these means of
proofs over oral testimony in many cases.
(Kamali, 1991)
6Urf stands for ‗good customs that community approves‘ (Auda, 2008, p. 58). In the
schools of fundamentals of law, most scholars consider custom to be an effective factor
only in the application of the Islamic law, rather than a source of law in its own right.
The following are the conditions of Urf (Hannan, 2006):
- It must be common and recurrent.

- Urf must be in practice at the time of transaction, i.e. past Urf is no basis.
- Custom or Urf must not violate the nass or clear stipulation of the Quran and the
Sunnah.
- Custom must not contravene the terms of a valid agreement (valid according to
Shariah)
7Among the major Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence, Imam Malik is the leading
proponent of upholding maslahah as one of the Shariah‘s sources. He uses the term al-
masalih al-mursalah to connote interests that are not covered by other sources. Imam
Shafi‘i is also reported to have favoured this.
(Menski, 2006, p. 334)
Many jurists, however, rejected this as a source, with the exception of Imam al-Tufi
(Hanbali) and Imam al-Ghazzali (Shafiì). Al-Ghazzali uses istislah (seeking the better rule
for the public good) but does not claim it as the Shariah‘s fifth source. He also restricts its
application to situations deemed to be necessary to serve the public good.
(Dusuki & Abdullah, 2007)
He defines maslahah as follows:

Maslahah is essentially an expression for the acquisition of benefit or the repulsion of
injury or harm, but that is not what we mean by it, because acquisition of benefits and the
4
repulsion of harm represent human goals, that is, the welfare of humans through the
attainment of these goals. What we mean by maslahah, however, is the preservation of the
Shariah‘s objectives.
(Dusuki & Abdullah, 2007; Syaputra et al., 2014)
Yusuf Al-Qaradawi explains that maslahah is one of the objectives for the creation of
maqasid Shariah, where Maslahah prioritizes the needs of the public and its effects, and also
cannot be separated in the attention to restrictions that are not sharia compliant.
(Syaputra et al., 2014)
Abdur Rahman I. Doi (1984) explains the similarity in purpose for some of the source
mentioned above with regards to ‗public interest‘:
―The jurists of different schools have used different Arabic terms to describe it.
- The Hanafis call it istihsan meaning equitable preference to find a solution.
- Imam Malik calls it Al-Masalih Al-Murasalah, that is, the public benefit or public
welfare…
- Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal calls it istislah seeking the best solution for general interest.
- The Hanbali scholar Ibn Qudamah as well as Maliki jurist Ibn Rushd have
occasionally used the term Istihsan.
- The only school that does not recognize istihsan as a source is Shafi‘i school. According
to Imam Shafi‘i, if it is allowed, it can open door to the unrestricted use of fallible
human opinions since the public interest will vary from place to place and time to
time‖.
Regarding sources of Shariah other than Quran, Sunnah, Ijma and Qiyas, Sheikh Saleh Al-
Munajjid explains:
―With regard to sources other than these four, such as the opinions of the Sahabah,
istihsaan (discretion), sadd al-dharaa‟i‟ (blocking the means that lead to evil), istishaab, ‗urf
(custom), the laws of those who came before us, al-masaalih al-mursalah (things that serve
the general interests of the Muslims) and so on, the scholars differed as to how valid it is
to use them as evidence. According to the view that they are acceptable – all or some of
them – they are secondary to the Quran and Sunnah and should be in accordance with
them‖ (al-Munajjid, 2014c).
The term Istishab is explained as follows:
―Ibn al-Qayyim defined it as being the continuation of what is established or the negation
of what does not exist, i.e. it is the judgement, negative or positive, continues until there
is evidence of a change of state. This continuance is not proved by positive evidence, but
by the absence of the existence of new evidence. Al-Qarafi defined it: ‗Istishab means the
5
ii) Rulings (Ahkam) and what they mean, their types, what affects them,
how they can be applied, and the conditions relating to their use.
iii) Principles or rules available to the scholars to deduct and deduce
ahkam based on the adillah aforementioned and
iv) Qualifications and conditions required of the jurists [fuqaha]
responsible for the correct application of Usul al-Fiqh. This is
sometimes referred to as the conditions of ijtihad.
Dr. Hatem Al-Haj‘s representation of inclusions and exclusions of the field of

Usul Al-Fiqh also covers above mentioned four points and provides an
overview of essential aspects related to each point:
belief that the past or present matter must be assumed to remain as it is in the present or
future‘.‖(Muhammad Abu Zahrah, 2008)
6
Figure 1 - An Overview of Usul Al-Fiqh (Dr. Hatem Al-haj and M.H. Kamali)
The process of deducing Shariah rulings, utilizing Usuls, can be broadly laid out
as follows with each element having its own specific requirements and tools to
utilize. This book will cover all of the aspects shown in the model below at
introductory level.
7
Figure 2 - Inputs for Ijtihad and Deduction of Rulings (Creative Common Attribution: Australian Islamic Library)
Note:
Matter of Ra’y is of high importance and we accordingly consider it very useful to explain it further:
Ra’y or private judgement can be used in some cases as it is reported to be used by companions and
salaf. However, it has got different forms which need to be understood well.
Dr. Bilal Philips explains:

“If Ijma could not be achieved for any matter and over-whelming majority opinion could not be
determined because of major differences of opinion, the caliph would make his own Ijtihaad, which
would then become law. It should also be noted that the caliph had the right to over-rule the
consensus” (Philips, 2005, p. 47).
8
Regarding the era of tabi’un (generation after the companions), following is an example of use of Ra’y
by Said Ibn Musayyab of Medina, who is considered to be among the foremost authorities in fiqh
among the Tab'ieen (generation succeeding the Sahabah). He was also a son in law of Abu Hurairah
R.A.:
“Ibn al-Musayyab followed the traditions of 'Umar R.A. in judgement and fiqh; ra'y (opinion) had
great importance in his view because 'Umar R.A. frequently formed an opinion on matters about
which there was no explicit text in the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of the Messenger. So Ibn al-
Musayyab also used ijtihad (independent reasoning) to answer problems presented to him about
matters on which there was no explicit text from the Book or Sunnah or judgement or fatwa of a
Companion: he would give a fatwa based on his opinion which did not exceed what was proper. That
is why it is transmitted that he used to give fatwa when others feared to do so. He was the Imam of
the fuqaha' of Madina in the time of the Tabi'un. He did not refuse to give a fatwa when there was
need for one. His opinion was based on the firm pillars of fiqh: the Qur'an and hadith, and the
judgements of the Prophet and Rightly-Guided Khalifs” (Zahra, 2000). Ibn Al-Musayyab is known to be
the most influential of the 7 famous fiqaha of Madina in the times of tabi’un (Abd-Allah, 2013, p. 43).
It is to be understood, however, that any random ra’y or personal opinion which is not consistent with
the sources of Shariah is to be rejected straight away. “We find that Mu’tazilites, Murji’ites, the
Rafidi’ites and other heretical sects interpreted the Quran on the basis of their own opinions, what
they themselves found to be reasonable, and conclusions that they reached concerning language.
Therefore, you will find that they did not rely on the traditions of the Prophet (PBUH), his companions,
their successors, or Muslim leaders. For neither did they depend on Sunnah, nor on the consensus or
writings passed down by pious ancestors. They relied on reasons and language, not on the well-
known books of Tafsir, interpretation, hadith and traditions of early Muslims; they relied rather on
books of literature and scholastic theology that were the products of their own minds” (Al-Ani & Tel,
1999, p. 130).
Above explanation is further complimented by following explanation from Muhammad Hashim

Kamali9 from historical point of view regarding development of fiqh:
- The Companions were careful not to exercise ra'y at the expense of the Sunnah.
- With territorial expansion and dispersal of those learned in Hadith, fear of isolating the
Sunnah led the jurists to restrict free recourse to ra'y. Exercise of ra'y during the formative
stages led to considerable disagreement.
- Those who called for a close adherence to the Hadith, namely Ahl al-Hadith, mainly resided in
Makkah and Madinah and did not engage in giving Ra’y based rulings
(In following centuries), the fuqaha' of Iraq, as opposed to Ahlul Hadith scholars of Hejaz, resorted
more liberally to personal opinion, which is why they are known as Ahl al-Ra'y. In their view, the
Shariah was in harmony with the dictates of reason. Hence, they had little hesitation to refer both to
the letter and spirit of Shariah. This was the right thing to do in the era when Iraq was plagued with
Khwarij, philosophers and hadith fabricators. Imam Shafi’i through his works, including the famous
9 (Kamali, 1991)
9
Ar-Risala, brought the two methodologies (Ahl ul Hadith and Ahl ur Ra’y) under an integrated system
of Usul al fiqh (Sheikh Sajid Umar, 2013b).
With this discussion on Ra’y, previously presented overview of terms like Istihsan, Masalih Murasalah
etc. needs to be read in conjunction for further benefit.
About the Book:
Al-Waraqat was written by Imam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni, a noble 5th-century

scholar. This book is a good starting point for those beginning their journey into
the sciences and foundations of fiqh. Book briefly touches upon some key
aspects related to deduction of rulings and considerations for mujtahids. It
should, therefore, be considered only a primer to this subject.
Figure: A Historical Manuscript of Al-Waraqat (Digital copy available at Australian Islamic Library)
Sheikh Musa Furber introduces Al-Waraqat as follows:
―Students of jurisprudence read through a series of texts with their instructors.

The first text usually reads like a list of definitions and rules, with occasional
examples. Each book in the series adds more definitions, rules, and examples –
as well as variant opinions, and argumentation to champion one opinion.
10
One of the first books of jurisprudence taught to students is the Waraqāt of

Imām al-Juwaynī (d. 468AH). The text is limited to definitions and rules – with
very few examples and explanation – making it a perfect book for memorizing
the very basics. But it requires a commentary, so it is often taught with a short
interlinear commentary by Jalāl al-Dīn al-Maḥallī (d. 864AH). Al-Maḥallī‘s
commentary fleshes out the basic text with explanation, arguments behind its
opinions, and numerous examples‖.(Sheikh Musa Furber, 2014)
In accordance with above, we have also used Imam Al-Mahalli‘s commentary

along with other explanation from other scholars.
It is to be noted that, though this book is brief in nature and presents

information in reasonably sized segments, new starters may find some terms
and concept difficult to understand at their own and may end up having ‗half
knowledge‘. Scholars mention that ‗having half-knowledge is more dangerous
than having no knowledge‘. Accordingly, it is strongly advised to read this
book under a learned scholar of Islam and refer to other texts on Usul al-Fiqh as
well in order to reinforce and further the learning acquired through this book.
About the Author:
His full name was Abdul Malik Ibn Abdullah Ibn Yusuf Ibn Abdullah Ibn
Yusuf Ibn Muhammad Ibn Huyuwiya Al-Tai‘i Al-Nisaburi Al-Shafi‘i and he
was born in year 419H in a learned family. Both his father and grandfather
were great faqihs and sheikhs of their time. He was fortunate to benefit from
many learned scholars of his time including the noble masters of hadith. Imam
Juvaini is also known to have studied in Madrasah Al-Baihiqi.
11
Imam Al-Juvaini taught at haramain for years and also served there as mufti. For
his noble services to the community there, he was given the title of ‗Imam Al
Haramain‘10. In later part of his life, he also taught at Madrasah Nizamiyah
which was established by Seljuq vizier Nizam ul Mulk to revive the authentic
Islamic teachings (roots of famous Dars Al-Nizami go back to this madrasah).
His famous students include Imam Ghazali, Ali bin Muhammad bin Ali Al-
Tabri, Ahmed bin Muhammad bin Al-Muzaffar and others11.
About the commentary:
In the compilation of this commentary, translations from Hamza Karamli and

David Vishanoff have been used with slight modifications, as required. As the
purpose of this book is not a mere representation of translation and
commentary but to assist seekers of knowledge understand and grasp relevant
terminology, we have also included Arabic words with key terms in text for
vocabulary enhancement and facilitation in further study. A detailed glossary is
also made available for reference.
In compiling this commentary, we have tried to avoid personal opinions to the

best of our ability and derived explanation from the works of the learned
scholars and Imams such as Sheikh Ibn Al-Uthaymeen, Sheikh Yahya Adel
Ibrahim, Sheikh Saleh Al-Munajjid, Sheikh Abdur Rahman Ibn Nasir As-Saadi,
Sheikh Salih Al-Fawzan, Sheikh Saleh As-Saleh, Dr. Hatim Al-haj, Dr. Hashim
Kamali, Sheikh Sajid Umar and others.
10 (Leaman, 2015, p. 269; Meri, 2005, p. 428)

11 (Al-Hajri, 1998, pp. 15–24)
12
Further Reference:
There are many useful books available on this subject. However, we have found
that ‫ األصىل ين عهى األصىل‬of Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Al-Uthaymeen can be used
very effectively in conjunction with this book as it compliments almost all of the
material included in this book.
13
ِ ِ
ُ ‫فلم أ ِجد ِم ّ ُاسئ‬
‫لت ُب ّدَا‬
‫عت فِي ِه ُمست َ ِمدا‬
ُ ‫َوقَد َش َر‬
ِ ‫ِمن َربنَا التُوفِيق لِل ۡ َّص‬
‫واب‬
‫الد َاري ِن بالكتاب‬ َ ‫َوانف َع ِِف‬
I found myself obliged to do that which I was asked,

I began carving it, seeking
from our Lord, guidance to the truth, tawfique and thawab,
And benefit in both the worlds through this book
(Beautiful words from Al-Imam Yahya ibn Nur Al-Din Al-Imritiye)
14
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAW

AND LEGAL METHODOLOGY
These pages deal with the knowledge of Usul al-fiqh12.
The phrase Usul al-fiqh is composed of two simple parts:
(1) Usul, and
(2) Fiqh13
12 Imam Shafi‘i is considered to be the founder of Usul al-Fiqh as a discipline in an

organized textual form. He studied with Imam Malik, Imam Ahmed and famous students
of Imam Abu Hanifah including Imam Muhammad al-Shaibani (Firas Al-Khateeb, 2013;
Sheikh Abdullah Oduro, 2015). Having studied under the Maliki School as well as Hanafi
School, Imam Al-Shafi observed a difference of opinion between the people of Madinah
(Ahlul ul Hadith) and people of Iraq (Ahlul Ra‟y). As explained before, the use of Ra‟y was
not a negative practice but the one in line with prevalent situation in Iraq at that time
(Sheikh Abdullah Oduro, 2015). Having studied both schools of fiqh, as well as having a
vast knowledge of authentic hadith, Imam al-Shafi‘i sought to reconcile the two
philosophies and introduce a clear methodology for fiqh – known as usul al-fiqh. His
efforts towards this end resulted in his seminal work, ―Al-Risala‖. The framework he
provides for Islamic law became the main philosophy of fiqh that was accepted by all
subsequent scholars of Islamic law. Even the Hanafi and Maliki schools adapted to work
within the framework that al-Shafi‘i provided – May Allah raise his status in Jannah.
The contributions of Imam al-Shafi‘i in the field of usul al-fiqh were monumental. His
ideas prevented the fraying of the study of fiqh into hundreds of different, competing
schools by providing a general philosophy that should be adhered to. But it also provided
enough flexibility for there to still be different interpretations, and thus madhabs.
13The word fiqh, linguistically, refers to jurisprudence, an understanding, or to know

something. Some linguists consider it beyond mere understanding and use this for
‗precise understanding‘(Sheikh Abu Zaid Zameer, 2013; Sheikh Sajid Umar, 2015).
15
An asl [‫( ]اصل‬plural: Usul) is something on what other things are built upon (on
the other hand, a far‟ [‫]فرع‬, on contrary, is what is built on another).
Fiqh is the ―knowledge of revelatory rulings (Ahkam Ash-Sharia‟a - ‫)األحكام الشرعية‬
that are established through ijtihaad”14.
TYPES OF REVELATORY RULINGS:
There are seven revelatory rulings15:
Islamically, however, it takes its cue from knowing something based on statements and
actions derived from the revelation to Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬. This is what forms the
foundation of Islamic Legislation, also called Shariah, whose rulings or HUKM is based on
four principle sources:
1. The Book of Allah – The Quran

2. The Sunnah – The teachings of Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬
3. Ijma – The consensus of the ulema on a particular matter.
4. Qiyas – Logical deduction. This is not merely deducing according to one‘s whims,
but in light of clauses that may be in place and in order to facilitate the best
position in light of the law of Allah.
Each of these four principles needs to be researched properly, so that the procedure of
deriving rules can be fully understood. (Abdul Aleem, 2015)
Also refer to earlier discussion on sources of Shariah in the Foreword of this book.
Imam Shafi‘i defines it as follows: ―‗Knowledge of the practical rules of shariah acquired
from the detailed evidences in the sources of shariah‖ (Sheikh Abu Zaid Zameer, 2013;
Sheikh Sajid Umar, 2015; 1998 ,‫)عـبـد الـعـلـي مـحـمـد به وـظـام الـديـه‬
14See definitions for Ahkam and Ijtihaad in glossary for further clarification of Imam Al-
Juvaini‘s definition of Fiqh.
15 The 7 categories of rulings mentioned here are called Ahkam At-Takleefi.
Following explanation from Sheikh Yahya Ibrahim will clarify this concept:
The Hukm ash-Shar‟ee / Divine Commandments have been classified into two major
categories:
16
Figure: Types of Hukm Ash-Shar’ee
1.Hukm at-Takleefee / laws of personal obligation

This is a ruling for an individual who is obligated to follow—meaning that there is
something that you are asked to do or to stay away from.
For example, a Muslim must perform the Salat and pay the Zakat. A Muslim is
prohibited from consuming alcohol. In this case we say that the hukm is self-sufficient;
the action stands by itself and does not rely on anything.
2.Hukm al-wad‟ee / rulings that concern Preconditions & collective situations

This is a ruling for the general community and is based on conditions and
prerequisites that establish personal or communal obligations.
For example, performing wudhu is a pre-Requisite for the salat. Or, sighting of the
moon establishes Ramadan. Or, a witness for a marriage.
It is something needed for an obligation to be fulfilled or established.
Within a community, however, there are certain people who are obligated to perform
acts on behalf of the whole based on their specific condition. Others become obligated
personally as circumstances arise.
All people rise to particular levels of responsibility and become Mukallaf - obligated. For
example, a child below the age of ten is not required to pray or fast so he or she is NOT
mukallaf for these actions—whereas a person who has reached puberty MUST pray and
fast, making them mukallaf for these actions.
17
SUB-CLASSIFICATIONS OF AHKAM ASH-SHARAI‘A:
A comparative overview of types and naming of Ahkam Ash-Sharia‟a from Imam Al-
Juvaini and the four madhahib is presented below:
Imam Ahmed, Imam Mali, Imam

Imam Al-Juavaini Imam Abu Hanifah
Shafi'i
Mandatory (Fard)
Obligatory (wajib) Mandatory (wajib)
Necessary (Wajib)
Recommended (mandoob) Preferable (mustahab) Preferable (mustahab)
Permissible (mubah) Permissible (mubah) Permissible (mubah)
Indirectly forbidden (Makrooh

Tahreem)
Unlawful (mahzoor) Forbidden (haram)
Forbidden (haram)
Disliked leading to sin (makrooh

Disliked or Destested (makrooh) Disliked (makrooh)
Tanzeeh)
Valid ( ‫)ال حي‬
Invalid ( ‫)الباط‬
Figure 3: Parallels between types of Fiqh Rulings
Mandoob and Mustahab carry same meanings (Sheikh Muhammad Nuruddeen Lemu, 2013).
Similarly, Mahzoor and Haram are also used interchangeably.
We see that in Hanafi fiqh, rulings related to ‗mandatory or obligatory‘ have been
subdivided into ‗Fardh‘ and ‗wajib‘. Similarly we see that they have two different types of
Makrooh - Makrooh Tahrimi and Makrooh Tanzihi.
In case of types of revelatory rulings mentioned by Imam Al-Juvaini in Al-Waraqat, two

addition entities are found: Valid (sahih) and Invalid (batil).
Sahih and Batil (or butlaan) i.e. validity and invalidity: The meaning of Sahih (validity) is that
certain legislative consequences and effects follow on from it (e.g. reward etc.) and the
18
 Obligatory (‫)الواجب‬:
An obligatory act is that whose performance is rewarded and whose non-

performance is punished16 .
meaning of Batil (invalidity) is the absence of legislative consequences and effects

following on from it.
When a person performs actions requested in the Shariah, then depending on the presence
or absence of various causes and conditions, those actions might be judged as being valid
or invalid.
It is the last two of the seven categories where Hukm al-wad‟ee determines the validity and
invalidity of actions.
For example, if a person doesn‘t do wudhu before Salah but offers Salah in a good manner,
his prayer will not be valid as one of the essential hukm al-wad‟ee condition was not met.
Same goes for the person who starts fasting for Ramadan when Ramadan has actually not
begun.
16 Al-Wajib, according to Hanbali, shafi‘i and Maliki school is known as ‗fardh‘. However,
in Hanafi school, it is further sub-divided in two categories: The personal obligation (fardh
ayn e.g. 5 obligatory prayers) and the communal obligation (fardh kifayah e.g. salat ul
jinaza). Performance of fardh ayn acts is sought from every mukallaf (morally responsible),
baaligh (mature) ‘aaqil (sane) person. (2006 ,‫)الفوزان‬
Fardh Ayn and Fardh kifayah are known as Wajib Ayn and Wajib Kifaya in schools other
than hanafi‘ites.
Sheikh Yahya Ibrahim explains this further:

If there is a communal need, such as Dawah, then there must be a person or a group of
persons fulfilling this religious requirement. Unless this group exists, the whole Ummah
in that part of the world is liable and responsible on the Day of Judgment. This
requirement also goes outside of religious requirements—for example if the community
needs a doctor, they are required to train someone from their community in that
profession in order to take care of the community.
There are three aspects related to the Wajib in daily life:
i. There are aspects of life where you, as an individual, have the choice as to WHEN
you perform certain act. For example, marriage is an act that is an obligation upon
19
 Recommended (‫)المندوب‬:
A recommended act is that whose performance is rewarded and whose non-

performance is not punished.17
every individual—there is no ―monkship‖ or ―nun ship‖ or ―priesthood‖ in Islam,

which means that, marriage is a wajib. However, as to when it is performed, it is your
choice.
ii. There are other wajib acts in which one does not have the choice as to when he or
she performs it. For example, Ramadan, or Hajj or the time periods of salat. These
wajib acts are only permissible within a certain time period.
iii. Another category of individual wajibat is a written command. An example would

be zakat—each mukallaf (on whom rulings are applicable) is responsible for this.
17 Example of mandoob can be use of siwak.
Sheikh Saleh Al-Munajjid (al-Munajjid, 2014a) explains about this and other related terms
as follows:
―Sunnah mu‟akkadah (confirmed Sunnah), naafil (supererogatory), voluntary and mandoob
(recommended) all share a similar meaning; they are acts of worship that are enjoined
and encouraged in Islam, without being obligatory. The one who does them will be
rewarded but there is no sin on the one who does not do them‖.
He also quotes from Al-Khateeb ash-Sharbeeni ash-Shaafa‗i R.A. from his book Haashiyat
ad-Dasooqi (Chapter on offering naafil prayers): ―Naafil in linguistic terms refers to
something extra; in Islamic terminology it refers to actions other than those which are
obligatory. They are so called because they are extra to what Allah, may He be exalted,
has made obligatory. Naafil is similar to Sunnah, mandoob (recommended), mustahabb
(encouraged) and so on. This is the well-known view‖.
Following explanation from Sheikh Yahya Ibrahim can be of particular usefulness:
Mustahabb (also called Masnoon or Mandoob):

In essence, Mustahabb refers to all of the Sunnah acts in the study of Fiqh. It can also be
simply defined as the opposite of Makrooh.
While the Sunnah acts are one degree less than wajib, they are considered actions of ibadah
that are requested of an individual. In the case of as-sunnan, the request is from Allah,
but is not considered an obligation; meaning that while one can attain great rewards by
20
its performance, there is no punishment for the one who leaves it off occasionally;
although it should not become a regular habit to leave off the sunnah in its entirety.
Examples of Mustahabb Actions:

It includes all of the secondary acts of worship performed, on a regular basis, by the
Prophet ‫ﷺ‬. A strong example would be what is termed ―Sunnah mu‟akkadah,‖ or ―the
established sunnah‖ of the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬.
One of these established acts are the extra ―sunnah salat‖ performed by the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬
before and after each of the five main salat. These are the Sunnah mu‟akkadah prayers he
‫ ﷺ‬would perform always, as long as he ‫ﷺ‬was not traveling.
If the sunnah acts, such as Sunnah mu‟akkadah, are not a requirement, then why perform them?
- Firstly, to increase one‘s Imaan
- Secondly, to gain more reward.

The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬related to us that Allah would build a house in heaven for the one
who performs all the Sunnah mu‟akkadah prayers along with the obligatory prayers.
Also, in another hadith it is stated that the hell fire would not touch the person who
had performed all the Sunnah mu‟akkadah prayers.
- Thirdly, performance of these sunnah prayers makes up for the deficiencies in your
obligatory salat. For example, if there was not enough khooshoo‘ in your compulsory
salat then what you gained in your sunnah salat replaces what you lost in the
obligatory salat.
- Lastly, and most importantly, mustahabb actions serve as protection for the wajibat
actions. For example, if a person wakes up early and prays the 2 rakat sunnah for
Fajr—would that person return to sleep before praying the 2 rakat Wajib? Of course
not! Similarly, if a person came to the masjid for Dhuhr, would he pray the four rakat
Sunnah, stop to watch the people pray the 4 rakat Dhuhr and then perform his 2 rakat
Sunnah afterward? Of course not!
So these Mustahabb acts serve as protection for the worships themselves. Another
example of this would be fasting on Mondays and Thursdays as the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬
taught us. Why? To protect the fasting during Ramadan—training for a person before
the actual month comes. Sadaqa protects what? Zakat! Umrah is a protection of what?
Hajj!
This is the first level of Mustahabb.
The second level of Mustahabb is actions that fall into what is deemed ―Sunnah Ghayr
mu‟akkadah,‖ i.e. actions that are not requested or even established. For example praying
21
 Permissible (‫)المباح‬:
A permissible act is that whose performance is not rewarded and whose non-
four rakat before Asr or Isha, or even the naafil acts of worship, as is in the case that
between the azan and the iqaama there is room for naafil salat. These are not regularly
established salat by the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬.
The third level of Mustahabb includes following the actions of the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬that were
of his ‫ ﷺ‬own choice. These are actions done by the Prophet that were not
recommended but because the Prophet did them they would be seen as virtuous if
someone followed his example in them to seek nearness to him in all conduct. This
includes things like growing out the hair to past the ears for a man or wearing a turban
and so on.
18 In case of Mubah, both its doing or leaving are equivalent.
Following is further explanation from Sheikh Yahya Adel Ibrahim:

Mubah has been described as:
- Halal – Lawful
- Al-Hil – allowed
- Mutlaq - unconfined/unrestricted
- Jaa‟iz - Permissible
In The Quran Allah uses some of those descriptions such as:

―Lawful to you is the pursuit of water-game and its use for food, for the benefit of
yourselves and those who travel.‖ [Surah al –Maidah, 5:96]
Difference between Halal vs. Mubah:

Halal are for the items in the Quran and Sunnah that Allah has mentioned in the book. So
they are clearly known and distinct from the Haram or Makrooh.
Mubah on the other hand are for the things which Allah SWT did not specifically mention.
They are not specifically and directly mentioned in the Quran or Sunnah.
Therefore Mubah is a determination made by the scholars.
22
Figure: 3 ways to identifying Mubah
Difference between matters of religion and other matters:
Figure: Permissibility and Impermissibility of Acts
23
 Unlawful (‫)المحظور‬:
An unlawful act is that whose non-performance is rewarded and whose

performance is punished.19
Mubah can earn you reward or punishment DEPENDING ON YOUR INTENTION AND
USAGE:
Depending on an individual‘s intention, a Mubah can become Wajib, Mustahabb, Makrooh
or Haram.
Examples of Mubah becoming:

- Mustahabb: Eating food to gain strength for Ibadah.
- Mustahabb: Studying to attain a Profession that is Halal in order to have no need for
Haram money.
- Wajib: If the Wajib is not completed unless this Mubah is performed (e.g. find a clean
place to pray rather than delay the prayer)
- Haram: If the Haram will be arrived at by way of this Mubah action (e.g. Selling grapes
to a winemaker or wasting food when those who are in need of it are near enough to
provide it to them)
19Following explanation from Sheikh Yahya Adel Ibrahim explains key aspects related to
‗Mahzoor‘ or ‗Haram‘:
What is Haram?
Haram is what Allah orders us to abstain from or leave. Hence, by its very definition
participating in anything Haram entails a promise of a Divinely ordained punishment as
outlined in the Quran and/or through the words and actions of the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬as an
instruction from Allah through the Messenger. Equally, if it is left off then a person is
rewarded, as Allah wills.
Prohibition (Nahy) is the opposite of command. It is a demand to avoid doing something

which the Legislator – ALLAH, forbids.
24
Figure: Categories of Haram
Following is an explanation of the two categories of Haram:
- The first level of haram is termed ―Haram Li Dhatih,‖ and is known to always be
haram on its own. Meaning it cannot be made halal in any way. For example,
drinking alcohol or eating swine, murder, fornication—any of the major and
minor sins.
Haram li-dhatih which is forbidden for its own sake due to an inherit quality
that is destructive to the individual or social fabric of society.
This type of haram can become halal when it becomes a necessity. If, for
example, someone is stranded on an island where swine is the only food
available and/ or if it is a matter of life or death, then it becomes permissible
for a person to consume the swine flesh.
- The second level of haram is termed as ―Haram Li ghayrih‖ and this is when an
action that is normally halal becomes haram because of certain conditions.
Haram li Ghayrih (which is forbidden for an external reason such as, marrying a
woman only to make her legal for another man (tahlil).
Therefore it is halal action (Marriage) that was made haram by something else
(intending it so that divorce will occur soon after and the former husband can
marry her again). As such, how one leads up to an action and the intent behind
it will decide whether or not it is accepted.
Process of identifying what is „haram‟?
25
Haram (also known as Mahzoor) is an unequivocal order from Allah the lawgiver to
abandon something completely or during under specific conditions or circumstances.
The level of proof required to establish the prohibition is the same as the level required
for a Fardh (as explained by early Hanafi Ulema) and of Wajib (as explained by the
majority Ulema of Usul).
The textual evidence for Haram may occur in various forms such as :
i. It may start with "Hurrimat alaykum" (e.g. ―Prohibited to you are dead animals,
blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah , and
[those animals] killed by strangling or by a violent blow or by a head-long fall or by
the goring of horns, and those from which a wild animal has eaten, except what you
[are able to] slaughter [before its death], and those which are sacrificed on stone altars,
and [prohibited is] that you seek decision through divining arrows. That is grave
disobedience..." [Quran - 5:3].
ii. It may be conveyed in negative terms such as "la taqtulu" - do not kill, "la takulu‖ - do
not eat or take. (e.g. ―And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly or send it [in
bribery] to the rulers in order that [they might aid] you [to] consume a portion of the
wealth of the people in sin, while you know [it is unlawful]‖ [2:188])
iii. It may be in the form of a command to avoid (e.g. ―"O you who have believed, indeed,
intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining
arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be
successful." (Quran - 5:90, to avoid wine-drinking and gambling).
iv. It may be stated that it is not permissible (La yahilla lakum, Quran - 4:19)
"O you who have believed, it is not lawful for you to inherit women by compulsion.
And do not make difficulties for them in order to take [back] part of what you gave
them unless they commit a clear immorality. And live with them in kindness. For if
you dislike them - perhaps you dislike a thing and Allah makes therein much good."
v. Prohibition may be proved by declaring a punishment for a particular action
(Numerous examples in the Quran - Zina, theft, murder...)
Nahy does not necessarily mean something is COMPLETELY FORBIDDIN and it has
rather got three types:
26
 Disliked or Detested (‫)المكروه‬:
A disliked act is that whose non-performance is rewarded and whose

Figure: Categories of Prohibition
Nevertheless, Nahy primarily implies Tahrim, if there is no other indication to think

otherwise.
Prohibition requires immediate and repeated compliance, whenever the prohibition is
applicable. If the prohibition is conditional, it will be applicable where the condition is
present only.
20 Makrooh is the opposite of a recommendation (i.e. masnoon).
Following explanation from Sheikh Yahya Adel Ibrahim clarifies it further:
By definition of the jamhoor (Imams Malik, Shafi‘i and Hanbal) ‗Makrooh‘ are the aspects
that Allah does not want you to do, but He does not command you to stay away from
them. For example, Allah forbids us from eating and drinking with the left hand—this is
an explicit command from the sunnah of the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬therefore it is sinful and haram.
27
 Valid (‫)الصحيح‬
A valid act is that which is affected and counts.
 Invalid (‫)الباطل‬:
An invalid act is that which is not affected and does not count.
On the other hand, it is preferred for us to be sitting down while eating and drinking, but
it is shown elsewhere that the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬drank while standing. Therefore it is not best
and should be avoided but it is not sinful.
As far as consequences, there is no punishment for doing these actions, but if left off with
the intention of pleasing Allah, then there is a reward. Thus, a person is allowed to stand
while drinking water, but if he or she sits for the sake of pleasing Allah and following the
sunnah of the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬then there is a reward. As such, just like Mustahabb
(recommended) protects the Wajibat (obligations), the Makrooh (disliked) serves to protect
us from the Haram.
Therefore Makrooh is:

- A prohibition that is not binding, the opposite of Mustahabb.
- Will get reward by staying away from it & you won‘t get punished if you do it.
Makrooh is used by the scholars when there is a difference of opinion.
Some scholars may claim a matter is haram while others may declare it permissible.
Others would justly term it Makrooh instead of claiming that the issue was positively
Haram.
This is using the famous hadith of the Prophet ‫― ﷺ‬The Halal is clear and the Haram is
clear, but between the two are issues which are confusing of which any of the people do
not know (the answer to). Thus, whoever protects himself from these confusing issues has
protected his Deen.‖
Some have shown that Makrooh is when there is mention of a reward for not doing an
action AND at the same time there is no mention of the punishment.
Makrooh is also when there is a definite command of prohibition, which comes with an
indication that it is not binding.
28
TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE:
Fiqh is more specific than knowledge (‫)انفقه أخص ين انعهى‬21.
Knowledge (‫ )انعهى‬is a perception of what is knowable.
Ignorance is perception of something contrary to how it really is. 22
21According to Sheikh Nasir As-Saadi, fiqh is actually knowledge of the masaa„il (issues)
and the dalaa„il (evidences). (2006 ,‫)الفوزان‬
Figure: Fiqh according to Sheikh Nasir As-Saadi
22Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen explain the concepts of knowledge, jahl, dhann and shakk as
follows (al-Uthaymin, 2013, p. 17,18):
The definition of knowledge is the perception of something for what it really is and being
firmly aware of it, such as knowing that the whole is greater than the part, and that the
intention is a requirement for worship (to be accepted).
So what is excluded from our words: 'the perception of something', is the lack of the
complete awareness of something, which is called jahl basit (plain ignorance), such as
someone being asked: 'when was the Battle of Badr?' and he replies: 'I do not know.'
And what is also excluded from our words what it really is' is to perceive something
different from what it really is, this is called jahl al-murrakab (compounded ignorance),
such as someone being asked: when was the Battle of Badr?' to which he replies: 'in the
third year after migration.'
[When in actuality it was during the second year after the migration].
29
‘Necessary knowledge’ (‫ )العلـم الضـروري‬is knowledge that does not require

reflection (‫ )نظز‬or deduction (‫)استذالل‬, such as knowledge gained through one of
the five senses (e.g. fire is hot). 23
Acquired knowledge (‫ )العلـم المكتسـب‬is knowledge that requires ‗reflection‘ and

‗deduction‘. 24
And what is also excluded from our words 'firmly aware of it' is the perception of
something in a non-assertive way, so it is likely to be different from the way it was
perceived, then that is not called knowledge. Then if he prefers one over the other
possibility then it is referred to as dhann and the other possibility as waham and if both are
thought to be the same then it is called Shakk (doubt).
Waham refers to: ―a perception of something with the possibility of it being against the
most correct view‖.
Figure: Types of Ignorance
23 ―Necessary knowledge is innate (fitriyah), emanating directly from the very nature of
human reasoning. One is born with it and does not acquire it from experience. Further, it
is necessary knowledge because one cannot deny its outcome without falling to the realm
of absurdity (sukhf)‖(Safi, 1996, p. 72). `Sukhf' means `feebleness of the rational faculty'.
24‗Acquired knowledge‘ is also called ‗Nazari‟ knowledge as it is acquired through „nazar‟

(reasoning and reflection). Imam Al-Juvaini defined ‗nazar‟ as ―the [process of] thinking
through which is acquired whatever [knowledge] based on ilm (certain knowledge) or
dhann (probable)‖.
‗Acquired through reasoning‘, he argues, can be further sub-divided into two types:
Correct (sahih) or incorrect (fasid). Correct knowledge is supported by evidence (daleel).
Anything else is considered incorrect.
30
(Following this the further breakdown of terms used in above definitions)
Reflection (‫ )نظر‬is to think about the object that needs reflection.25
Deduction (‫ )استدالل‬is the seeking of proof. 26
Proof (‫ )الدليل‬is what leads to that which is sought.
(Reflection, Deduction and proofs lead us to perception about things 27. Imam Al-Juvaini throws some
light on this in coming sentences)
Al-Juvaini held that in order the evidence to produce correct knowledge, two criteria
must be met:
- The evidence must be substantively correct
- The formal rules of derivation (sunan al-dalil) through which the evidence is acquired
should be sound. (Safi, 1996, p. 72)
25i.e. using observation and thinking to analyse the object, situation or event that needs to
be reflected upon
first 3 letters of the ‗Istidlal are :Alif, Seen, Ta. ‫استدالل‬

26 The
When these three letters appear in any word at the beginning of it, it means talab or need
of what follows them in the word. In this case, it is the talab is of ‗proof‘.(Sheikh Yasir
Fahmi Al-Azhari, 2013)
27 Imam Al-Juvaini has divided perception in two branches: Confidence and doubt.
However, doubt can be of various extents and can lead to possible further sub-division of
perceptions as follows:
- Certainty; (i.e. no presence of any doubt); also called Yaqeen

- Confidence (i.e. not being 100% sure but fairly confident or having very little level of
doubt); also called Dhann
- Doubt – (i.e. if one weighs the evidences and weighs the possibilities, no over-
whelming sign is found that one of them is stronger than the other); Also called Shakk
- Suspicion – (i.e. perception that is extremely weak or something that is the opposite of
yaqeen); Also called Wahm
31
Confidence (‫ )الظن‬is to deem each of two matters possible, with one

predominant over the other.
Doubt (‫ )الشـك‬is to deem two matters possible without the predominance of one
over the other.
SUBDIVISIONS (‫ )أبـواب‬OF THE DISCIPLINE:
(After constructing the individual components of word Usul Al-Fiqh and related matters, now Imam
Al-Juvaini explains the definition of Usul al-Fiqh)
Usul Al-Fiqh deals with ‗general proofs‘ (‫ )اجًبل‬of Fiqh and methodology to
adduce them as ‗proof‘ in evidentiary inquiry (‫)االستذالل‬.
(‫)طزقه عهى سبيم اإلجًبل وكيفيت االستذالل بهب‬
The roots of legal science (or ‗Usul al-Fiqh‘) fall under the following headings:
(1) Types of speech,

(2) Commands,
(3) Prohibitions,
(4) General wordings,
(5) Specific wordings,
(6) Ambiguous wordings,
(7) Clarifying wordings,
(8) Probabilistic indications,
(9) Actions,
(10) Abrogating texts,
32
(11) Abrogated texts,

(12) Scholarly consensus,
(13) Transmitted reports,
(14) Analogy,
(15) Unlawfulness and permissibility,
(16) The proper proof-order,
(17) The attributes of the mufti and the mustafti, and
(18) Rulings related to mujtahids
33
Using Language in its Literal and

Figurative Senses
(Language is an extremely important factor in decoding rules and regulations. For the next few sections, Imam
Al-Juvaini explains some important language aspects related to decoding of commands and rulings).
TYPES OF SPEECH (‫)أقسام الكالم‬28:
Speech (‫ )الكالم‬is minimally composed of:
(1) Two nouns (‫)اسمان‬,

(2) A noun (‫ )اسم‬and a verb (‫)فعل‬,
(3) A verb (‫ )فعل‬and a particle (‫ )حرف‬29, or
28Ulema of Usul identified that understanding of Arabic language is one of the key
components to understand usul and fiqh. Understanding how Arabic language works, its
uniqueness, specifies, and usages form an important part understanding Islamic
jurisprudence and in the absence of this knowledge, great mistakes can be made owing in
inadequate and flawed understanding of Quran and sunnah.
―This section (of the book) discusses the language of revelation, and introduces several
concepts that may help to resolve legal problems. Applying the language of revelation to
real life means knowing what things in the world are meant when a word is used in
revelation. Al-Juvaini explains that words can refer to objects in the real world either
directly or indirectly - literally or figuratively.‖ (Vishanoff, 2008)
―Al-Juwayni's definitions of summarized and elaborated speech, and definite and

apparent meaning, are just ways of saying that some speech is clearer than some other
speech. Later he will say that clear speech trumps unclear speech.
Al-Juwayni then says that the Prophet ‫'ﷺ‬s actions, and his tacit approval of the actions
of others, usually indicate that those actions are obligatory, or at least
permissible.‖(Vishanoff, 2008)
34
(4) A noun (‫ )اسم‬and a particle (‫)حرف‬.
Speech is classified into30:
(1) Commands (‫)أيز‬31 and prohibitions (‫)نهي‬32,

(2) Declarative statements (‫)خبز‬33, and
(3) Questions34 (‫)استخببر‬
Ulema have differences of opinion on third and fourth point and it is not considered by
29
many as meaningful speech.
30 Imam Al-Juvaini classifies speech into 6 classes mentioned below in order to simply
things for learners who have just started their study of usul. Other scholars have divided
it in two main categories with each of them having further sub-categories.
Following is a broad overview explained by Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Salih Al Uthaymeen:
―Speech is divided with regards to its potential of being truthful or not into two parts:
- al-khabr (news) and
- insha (that which is established)‖.
He further explains al-Khabr as:

―That which can be described as truthful or untruthful in and of itself.
What is excluded from our statement (i.e. 'that which can be described as truthful or
untruthful') is: 'al-insha' because it isn't possible, its significance is not informed of until it
can be said it is a truth or a lie‖.
(al-Uthaymin, 2013)
31Example of Amr (Command): ―Establish worship, pay the poor-due, and bow your
heads with those who bow [in worship]‖ (Quran 2:43)
32Example of Nahi (Prohibition): ―Eat not (O believers) of that meat on which Allah‘s
Name has not been pronounced (at the time of slaughtering) for sure it is disobedience of
Allah (a sinful conduct)…‖ (Quran 6:121)
33 Example of Khabar (Declarative Statement / News): If you avoid the major sins which you are
forbidden, We will remove from you your lesser sins and admit you to a noble entrance [into
Paradise] (Quran 4:31)
35
(4) Wishes (‫)تًن‬35,

(5) Suggestions (‫)عزض‬36 and
(6) Oaths37
From another perspective, it is classified into:
(1) Literal (‫ )حقيقت‬and

(2) Figurative (‫)يجبس‬
Literal means it is used in the sense for which it was coined, or according to
some, that it is used according to convention38.
34Example of Istikhbar (Question): ―O mankind, what has deceived you concerning your
Lord, the Generous?‖ (Quran 82:6)
Example of Taman (Wish): ―I was not with the Messenger of Allah (‫ )ﷺ‬but I wish I
35
were with him‖ (Sahih Bukhari Book 4, Number 172)
36Example of Ardh (Suggestion): Umar R.A. saw a silk suit being sold, so he said, "O
Allah's Messenger (‫ !)ﷺ‬Why don't you buy it so that you may wear it when delegates
come to you, and also on Fridays?" The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬said, "This is worn only by him
who has no share in the Hereafter." (Sahih Bukhari, Book 77, No. 58)
37―Imam Zarkashī (d. 1392 CE) defines an oath as jumlatun yu'akkadu biha'l-khabaru (a
sentence that confirms a statement through emphasis). Imam Suyūtī (d: 1505 AD.)
describes it in similar terms: al-qasdu bi'l-qasami tahaqiqu'l-khabari wa tawkiduhu (The
purpose of an oath is to confirm a statement and place emphasis upon it). In other words,
the muqsam bihi (object of oath) serves to emphasise the point made in the muqsam àlayh
(complement of oath)‖ (Mir, 1990). Some examples of oath from Quran include: Wa‟d
duha, Wa‟l layli Idha Saja, Wa‟s samai wa‟t tariq etc.
38Imam Al-Juvaini described literal or Haqeeqah as words and meanings that are used in
the sense that they are coined for e.g. a lion would mean a lion etc. He also includes
customs of society in the definition of Haqeeqah.
36
On the other hand, something is figurative when it is extended beyond its

original coinage. 39
39Shaikh ul-Islam Ibn Qudaamah stated majaaz as,

―It is the expression used in other than its‘ original meaning in a sound manner or
way‖(1993 ,‫عبد هللا به أحمد به محمد به قدامة المقدسي‬, p. 272).
For example, when someone mentions about a lion in the jungle, we take it literally. But
when someone says that so and so fought like a lion, it does not mean that the person
being mentioned literally became a lion and fought like that. It is a figurative speech
(Sheikh Abu ‘Ubadah Harith Al-Shiraida, 2014).
Some scholars, including Ibn Taymiyyah R.A., have argued that there is no figurative
speech in Quran. The main reason behind this is the case of those who have fallen in error
while interpreting Quran and Sunnah in a majaz manner such as mu‘tazila and those who
interpret verses in multiple ways depending on their likening.
However, other scholars disagree and present certain dalail in line with their opinion on
this. This include Ibn Kathir, Ibn Qudamah, Imam Bukhari, Imam Tabri and others. Many
researchers have found miraculous nature of such speech and praised the eloquence it
carries (A. Ali, Brakhw, Nordin, & Shaik, 2012; Al-Shemmery, 2010; Berrada, 2006;
Cahyaningsih, 2014; Mohaghegh & Dabaghi, 2013).
In answer to a question, Shaykh Gibril Fouad Haddad pointed out a few verses of Quran
as using figurative language (e.g. ―Help God, He will help you‖ [47:7], ―…those who
wage war against God‖ [9:107] etc.). He mentioned that ―It is definitely called majaaz, i.e.
figurative or metaphorical..‖ and also pointed out to other texts confirming this opinion.
(Shaykh Gibril Fouad Haddad, 2013)
―Figurative language (i.e.) connotation meaning refers to words or groups of words that
exaggerate or alter the usual meanings of the component words. It may involve analogy
to similar concepts or other context, and may exaggerate. These alterations result in a
figure of speech‖ (Al-Shemmery, 2010).
Following examples may clarify it further:
- Verse 24 of Surah Al-Isra mentions: ―And spread out the wing of humility towards
them‖ in relation to parents. Imaam Najm ud-Din at-Tufi said of this ayah in Sharh ul-
Mukhtasar Rawdah that, ‗The wing is a reality for the bird and things having bodies.
But the meanings and inorganic bodies cannot be described with that. This ayah is one
37
A literal use is either40:
of the examples of figurative speech (Sheikh Abu ‘Ubadah Harith Al-Shiraida, 2014;
1993 ,‫عبد هللا به أحمد به محمد به قدامة المقدسي‬, p. 272).
- The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said, ―No (bartering of) two sa‘s for one sa nor two dirhams for one
dirham is permissible‖ (Sahih Bukhari).
The haqeeqi meaning of the word sa as mentioned in the above hadith, is a term for a
‗measuring bowl‘ used during the time of the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬. However, the majaz
meaning of the word sa is a reference for that which is contained within the literal
measuring bowl (sa), be it wheat, dates, barley etc. Here, the majaz meaning is
understood, and therefore one will not be able to exchange dates for dates unless it is
of the same amount – otherwise it will be classed as riba. One will however, be able to
exchange the literal sa (measuring bowl) for more than one sas – and this will be
classed as profit.
Because the majaz meaning has been understood in this case, the haqeeqi meaning
will be dropped altogether.
Imam Al-Juvaini also provides further examples of figurative speech by explaining its
different types.
40Imam Al-Juvaini divided literal meaning in three categories.

Sheikh Nasir As-Saadi explains these three categories with following explanation:
Figure: Types of Al-Haqaa’iq
38
(1) Lexical or Linguistic

(2) Revelatory, or
(3) Customary.
An example of literal meaning falling under the sub-category of shar‘iyyah would be

‗salah‘ which literally means ‗prayer‘ or ‗dua‘ but its well-known meaning is the prayer
that we fulfil as our obligation in a certain matter [Fajr, Dhuhr, Asar, Maghrib and Isha]
(Sheikh Abu ‘Ubadah Harith Al-Shiraida, 2014; Sheikh Yasir Fahmi Al-Azhari, 2013).
Lughawiyyah means that the intended meaning are in consistency with dictionary
meanings.
Urfiyyah is what is considered as correct meaning according to a particular society. For

example, when we go to a computer shop and ask for a mouse, we intend to get the
device that we can attach to our computer. That is the urf (customary meaning). Here we
do not intend to get a rodent. This according falls under the meaning of Haqeeqah
(Sheikh Abu ‘Ubadah Harith Al-Shiraida, 2014).
So when a word is used for its original usage it is literal and when it goes beyond its
original usage, it is figurative.
Sheikh Nasir As-Sadi explains about the interpretation of meaning of literal and
figurative speech as follows:
―The asl (principle) governing kalaam (speech) is that it is to be taken upon its haqeeqah
(reality or literal meanings). So it is not turned away from (its reality) to its majaaz
(figurative meaning) except when it not possible to employ it upon its haqeeqah (reality)‖.
So whatever ruling the Shaari' (Lawgiver) has judged with and defined, then it is
obligatory to return it to the Shariah definition.
However, what the Lawgiver has ruled, but not defined, sufficing by the apparentness of
its linguistic meaning, then it is obligatory to return it to its linguistic meaning.
But whatever has not been defined in the Shariah or in the language; then it is obligatory
to refer it back to the habit of the people and their customary usage (understanding).
The Lawgiver may clearly specify to return these matters to 'urf (customary usage); such
as (what counts as) commanding the good, living well with one's wife, and other similar
matters.
39
A figurative use is either:
(1) Figurative by addition (i.e. based on the surplus)

(2) Figurative by subtraction (i.e. based on deficiency)
(3) Figurative by lexical shift (i.e. based on transference)
(4) Figurative by metaphor (i.e. borrowing meaning)
- Figurative by addition is like His Most High‘s saying, ‗laysa ka mithlihi

shay‟ (‫…― – )لــيس كمثلــه شــيء‬there is nothing whatever like unto Him‖41
- Figurative by subtraction is like His Most High‘s saying, ‗was‟alill-qaryata‟
(‫ )وســئل القريــة‬- ―Ask the town.‖42
- Figurative by lexical shift is like al-gha‟it with respect to human excrement
(‫ )بالنقـل كالغـائط فيمـا يخـرج مـن اإلنسـان‬- ‗hollow‘ being used for what comes out
of a person43
- Figurative by metaphor is like His Most High‘s saying, Jidaran yuridu
anyanqadda (‫ )جــدارا يريد أن ينقض‬- ―a wall that wants to collapse.‖44
41 In the statement, ‫لــيس كمثلــه شــيء‬, the ‫ ك‬is additional and is used for over-emphasis
that there is ABSOLUTELY nothing like Allah. It is considered figurative by addition.
(Sheikh Yasir Fahmi Al-Azhari, 2013)
42 ―Qarya‖ or village is a physical location and it cannot be asked a question. If we have to

ask people of a town, we use the words was‟al ahlul Qarya. But by removing the word “ahl”,
the speech is made in a figurative style which still conveys the intended meaning to the
listeners.
43 Al-ghait linguistically means a small depressed area curved inside the ground. People
used to go there to relieve themselves. Rather than using the blunt words like urinations etc.,
they used to call these bodily needs ―al-ghait‖ referring to all the excrements from the body.
This is called majaz bin naqal or majaz by lexical shift.
40
44 ―A wall that wants to fall‖ is a metaphorical use which is used for describing the wall
as if a person is described. It is used to highlight and emphasis the condition of wall which
could fall any moment.
41
COMMANDS AND PROHIBITIONS
COMMANDS (‫)األمــــر‬
A command is a verbal demand obliging an inferior (someone who is below) to

perform an act. The verbal form that indicates command is if„al [‫ افعم‬- the
imperative].45
When unqualified, and in the absence of contextual indications [to the

contrary], it is interpreted as obligation, except when some evidence indicates
that recommendation (‫ )اننذة‬or permission (‫ )اإلببحت‬is meant, in which case it is
interpreted accordingly46.
The correct view is that command does not require the repetition of the act47,
unless some evidence indicates that repetition was intended; nor does it require
immediate action48.
45‫ افعل‬linguistically means ―do (a command)‖. This pattern of words is used for
commands e.g. ‫( اضرب‬a command to ‗hit‘), ‫( اجلس‬a command to 'sit‘) etc.
46 Sheikh Nasir As-Saadi mentions: ―The asl (fundamental principle) concerning

commands in the Book and the Sunnah is that they are indicative of a wujoob (obligation)
unless there is an evidence to indicate it being mustahabb (recommended) or mubah
(permissible). The foundation concerning prohibitions is that they are indicative of
tahreem (forbiddance) unless there is an evidence to indicate it being makrooh
(hated)‖(Sheikh Nasir As-Saadi, 2014).
47For example, if someone is asked to sit, it means that expectation from him is to sit
once. Once that person sits, he has done what he was required to do. This is the majority
42
The command to bring about an action is a command to perform both the act
and whatever is required for the completion of the act, just as the command to
perform the prayers is a command enjoining the purity that paves the way for
them49. When the commanded act is performed, the one who is commanded is
considered to have discharged his responsibility.
opinion (Sheikh Yasir Fahmi Al-Azhari, 2013). However, some scholars believe that that
when a command is given, it may mean repetition or performance over a period of time.
An example in Shariah terms can be hajj which is not required to be repeated again and
again as it is not mentioned in Quran and Sunnah as an act requiring repetition.
Following hadith explains it further when Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬commanded people

to do hajj and by this command, he did not intend repetition:
―It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬addressed us and
said: ―O people, Allah has enjoined Hajj on you, so perform Hajj.‖ A man said: ―Is it
every year, O Messenger of Allah ‫ ‖?ﷺ‬He remained silent until (the man) said it three
times. Then the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said: ―If I said yes it would be obligatory and
you would not be able to do it‖ (Sahih Muslim, 1337).
On the other hand, clear daleel is available for some other matters and acts requiring
repetition. For example, ‗Aqeemus salah‘ (establish the prayer). By this ayah and the
opinion that a command in itself does not demand repetition, offering a salah once would
suffice. But we know that it is not correct as other qatai‟i daleels (definitive proofs) are
available to tell us that repetition in certain pattern is required.
48Imam Juvaini‘s opinion is that a command does not require immediacy. Sheikh Yasir
Fehmi explains that it is the majority opinion (Sheikh Yasir Fahmi Al-Azhari, 2013) but
there are some scholars who consider it necessary to be acted upon immediately as soon
as a person becomes mukallaf.
49Sheikh Nasir as-Sadee presents this as a Qaidah (principle) in his book: Al-Qawaa'id
wal-Usul al-Jaami'ah wal-Furooq wat -Taqaaseem al-Badee'ah an-Naafi'ah: ―The means
take on the same rulings as their aims‖. Sheikh Saleh as-Saleh explain it as follows:
What branches from this foundation is the following:

i. Whatever is required to fulfil an obligation is itself an obligation.
43
THOSE WHO ARE INCLUDED IN THE AUDIENCE OF COMMANDS

AND PROHIBITIONS AND THOSE WHO ARE NOT
Believers are included in those who Allah, The Most High addresses, but those
who forget (‫ )الســاهي‬50 , children (‫)الصــبي‬, and the possessed (‫ )المجنــون‬are not
included51.
Disbelievers are addressed both by the details of sacred law and by what they
are not valid without (i.e., Islam) 52, because of His Most High‘s saying, ( ‫قالوا لم نك‬
‫ )من المصلين‬- They responded, ‗We were not of those who prayed.‘
ii. Whatever is required to fulfil a recommendation is itself recommended

iii. Whatever leads to the establishment of a haram (prohibition) is itself prohibited.
iv. Whatever leads to the establishment of a makrooh (detested act) is itself detested.
v. Whatever follows-on from acts of worship and actions takes the same rulings as they
do (i.e. worship and actions).
(Sheikh Nasir As-Saadi & Sheikh Saleh As-Saleh, 2006)
50―As-Sahi” has also got other meanings including: absentminded ; distracted ; forgetful ;
inadvertent ; inattentive ; unaware and unmindful
51These people do not have any legal responsibilities or obligations as they do not have
capability to perform responsibilities that others can fulfil
Sheikh Salih Al-Fawzan presents following hadith while explaining these points from Al-
Waraqat in his sharh (1991 ,‫عبد اهللا به صال الفوزان‬, p. 49):
ِ ‫ون ْال َم ْغلُو‬

َّ ‫ب َعلَى َع ْقلِ ِه َح َّتى ُي ِفيقَ َو َع ِن ال َّنائ ِِم َح َّتى َيسْ َت ْيق َِظ َو َع ِن‬
‫الص ِبي َح َّتى َيحْ َتلِ َم‬ ِ ‫ُرف َِع ْال َقلَ ُم َعنْ َثالَ َث ٍة َع ِن ا ْل َم ْج ُن‬
―There are three from whom pen has been lifted (i.e. whose actions are not recorded):
from a lunatic whose mind is deranged till he is restored to consciousness, from a
sleeping person till he awakes, and from the child till he reaches puberty‖ (Sunan Abi
Dawud, 4401)
52Majority of scholars are of the opinion that non-believers are included in the specifics of
the sacred law. For example, when the command comes ―establish the prayer‖, they are
included in those that are addressed. That is why when they will be asked on the day of
44
A command to do something is a prohibition against its opposite; and a

prohibition against something is a command to do its opposite.
To prohibit (‫ )النهي‬means to verbally call someone who is below one to leave an

action by way of obligation.
It indicates the invalidity of what which is prohibited53.
The command form is sometimes used with the intention of:
- Permitting (‫ )اإلببحت‬54,
- Threatening (‫ )انتهذيذ‬55,
judgement regarding what took them to hell, they would say ―We did not pray‖.
Similarly, it is mentioned the ‗mushrikoon‘ (polytheists) will be in wayl (a part of hell)
because they do not pay ‗zakah‘ (obligatory charity). A point to note here is that in order
to meet these specifics obligations, their pre-requisites and conditions are to be met. The
pre-requisite in this case is becoming a Muslim in order for their prayer to be accepted
(Sheikh Yasir Fahmi Al-Azhari, 2013).
53For example, if a woman who is undergoing menstruation prays, her prayer is invalid
as offering prayer under such condition is prohibited.
54Commands do not necessarily mean obligations. They can be used to convey various
meanings including permissibility of certain actions. For example, the order to get spread
on earth to seek bounties of Allah after the Jumah prayer is not an obligation but
permissibility. There is no sin if people do not go for business after the prayer.
―When you finish the Salah, then disperse through the land and seek the bounty of Allah
(go back to your normal business). Remember Allah frequently, so that you may prosper‖
(Quran 62:10)
55Example of this can be the ayah:

‖And they have attributed to Allah equals to mislead [people] from His way. Say, "Enjoy
yourselves, for indeed, your destination is the Fire." (Quran 14:30).
In this ayah, the word ‫( َت َم َّتعُوا‬enjoy) is not an obligation or permissibility but a threat or a
strong warning.
45
- Equivalence i.e. giving alternatives (‫ )انتسىيت‬56, or

- Existentiation i.e. creating (‫)انتكىين‬57, 58
56 Example of this form of Amr can be seen in the ayah:
‫فاصـبروا أو ال تصـبروا‬
―So be patient or don‘t be patient‖

(Quran 52:16)
57‫ انتكىين‬is from the root ‫ كن‬which is used for creating. ‫ ُكىنُىا‬is also derived from the same
root and is a command form. Allah SWT mentions in verse 65-66 of surah Al-Baqarah:
ِ َ‫ت فَقُ ْهنَب نَهُ ْى ُكونُوا قِ َز َدةً خ‬

َ‫بسئِين‬ ِ ‫َونَقَ ْذ َعهِ ًْتُ ُى انَّ ِذينَ ا ْعتَذَوْ ا ِي ْن ُك ْى فِي ان َّس ْب‬
َ‫فَ َج َع ْهنَبهَب نَ َك ًبال نِ ًَب بَ ْينَ يَ َذ ْيهَب َو َيب خَ ْهفَهَب َو َيىْ ِعظَتً نِ ْه ًُتَّقِين‬
―And certainly you have known those among you who transgressed in (the matter of) the
Sabbath. So, We said to them, "Become apes, living in disgrace!' Thus, We made it a
deterrent for those around and after them - and a lesson for the God-fearing‖.
58Scholars have also defined some other types of Amr (commands) such as guiding,
honouring, hoping etc.
46
General and Specific Utterances
GENERAL AND SPECIFIC UTTERANCES AND THEIR TYPES59
A general utterance is what encompasses two or more things without limit.60
59‗Law‘ consists of statements such as "the act of this person's eating this food at this time
under these circumstances is: disapproved." But revelation does not consist entirely of
such statements; often it has the form of commands. How does one translate a command
into a statement of this form? Imam Al-Juvaini gives some rules for that in this section.
Some words in revelation and prophetic traditions refer to particular things in the real
world, and other words refer "generally" to whole groups of things. What if one Quranic
verse assigns the legal value "permitted" to a whole class of things "generally," but
another verse or prophetic tradition assigns the legal value "proscribed" to a subset of that
class of things? This is called "particularization" - the legal value assigned to the
narrower subset trumps the legal value assigned to the larger class mentioned in the
more general verse. This is the discussion in current section of book.
60General utterance or, 'Al-'Am', linguistically means ‗inclusive‘. And technically it

means: an all-encompassing word that includes all its individual elements without
restriction, such as:
The righteous are in bliss' [82:13, 84:22].
The ayah includes all the righteous in general.
Sheikh Abdur Rahman Nasir As-Saadi explains (as-Sadee, 2001):

―From the texts of the Book and the Sunnah are those which are al-am (general); which is
defined as that word which is inclusive of many ajnaas (catagories), anwaa (types) and
afraad (individuals). The majority of the texts are of this nature.
Other texts are al-khass (specific), and are indicative of only some categories, types and
individuals. Thus, if there does not exists any contradiction between the al-am and the
khass texts, then each of them are independently acted upon. However, if a contradiction
is presumed, then al-am is specified and delineated by the khas.‖
(The process of specifying al-am to make it khas is called particularization).
47
It comes from one‘s saying, (‫„ )عًًــت سيــذا وعًــزا ببنعطـبء‬amamtu zaydan wa „amran
bi‟l-„ata‟ and (‫„)عممــت جميـع النـاس‬amamtu jami‟ al-nas.
There are four types of utterances that denote generality:
(1) A singular noun made definite with the definite article al - by an alif
and a lâm ( ‫ )االسى انىاحذ انًعزوف ببنالو‬61
(2) A plural noun made with the definite article al (‫)واسى انجًع انًعزف ببنالو‬62
(3) Ambiguous nouns or the nouns of indeterminacy (‫–)األســماء المبهمــة‬

such as ‗who‘ for rational beings, ‗what‘ for non-rational things, ‗any‘ for
both of these, ‗where‘ for place, ‗when‘ for time, ‗what‘ for inquiry and
partition and other things
(4) La (‫ ال‬meaning „no‟) with indefinite nouns.63
Generality applies exclusively to utterances; generality may not be claimed

with anything else, such as actions and the like.
The hukm for al-am is that the action is carried out with a caution that those who are
excluded will be immune, whilst it will remain wajib for those who remain within the
‗general‘ (‗am) mass. (e.g. praying is mandatory on all Muslims in general, however,
women during menstruation may be immune and may not be included in the ruling on
al-am)
61 E.g. Al-Insaan (mankind in general)
62 E.g. Al-Samawat (Skies)
63 Such as the saying: ‫ ال رجل في الدار‬giving non-specific information – no man is in the

house.
48
Particular or specific [expressions] are those that are not general.

Particularization (also called takhsees) is to distinguish part of a whole65.
64
64Particular utterance or, al-Khas, means: a word which is restricted to a person or a

certain number, such as names of well-known people; demonstrative nouns and
numbers.
The ruling on al-khass is that it is compulsory (wajib) to act on it unless there is another
nass or daleel which proves that it is mandoob not wajib.
One of the examples of al-khas from Quran is the case with time required for divorced
women before they can marry again. This time period has been made al-khas by
specifying the exact time frame (e.g. 3 quruo). As the number is specific, it must be acted
upon (Abdul Aleem, 2015).
(It is to be noted that some scholars consider Quruo as a period of cleanliness and others
refer to it as a period of menstruation).
The three common types of al-Khas are as follows (Abdul Aleem, 2015):
49
It is divided into:
- Connected particularization
- Disconnected particularization
Connected particularization comprises:
- Exception (Istisna)66,
Figure: Types of Al-Khas
65 Example of particularization: All students came EXCEPT Zaid (Whole was presented
first i.e. all students and then particularization was made to separate Zaid). This means
that Zaid is not anymore under the Hukm being discussed (e.g. ‗coming‘).
66 As explained in previous foot note
50
- Condition (Al-Shart)67, and

- Qualification by an attribute or the describer (Al-muqeedu Bis-sifah)68
Particularization through Exception:
Exception is the exclusion of that which an expression would otherwise

include. Exception is only valid on condition that there remains something of
that from which the exception was made. 69
Particularization through Conditions:
Another condition is that the exception be connected to the expression [from

which exception is being made]70. That which is excepted can be mentioned
before that from which it is excepted. Exception can be from a class, and from
other things.
67Example of connected particularization by the way of condition can be understood

from sentence: ―Be generous to Bani Tamim IF THEY COME TO YOU‖. Here
particularization is made by the condition ―if they come to you‖.
68 Example of particularization by an attribute is ―Be generous to Bani Tamim‘S

FUQAHA‖ where quality of those from Bani Tamim that command is to be generous with
is al-fuqaha
69An example of that is the case, in general, where it has been forbidden to eat on which
Allah‘s name has not been mentioned. However, the istisna to this is the time when a
person is about to die if he or she doesn‘t take some of it.
70For example, if I say, ―I owe you to $10, except 2‖ (i.e. I owe you 8). In this sentence, for
the exception to be considered valid, ―except 2‖ has to be part of this sentence. If it is
separated, it becomes invalid.
51
A condition can precede that which is made conditional [upon it.]71
Particularization through Qualification by an Attribute:
The unqualified is interpreted in accordance with what is qualified by an

attribute. For example, ‗slave‘ is qualified by faith in some passages, so
unqualified [references to slaves] are interpreted in accordance with the
qualified ones.72
Generality and Exclusions in Shariah Sources:
- A Quranic utterance may exclude from the generality of another
Quranic utterance (‫) تخصيص انكتبة بانكتبة‬, 73
- A sunnaic utterance may exclude from the generality of a Quranic
utterance (‫) وتخصيص الكتاب بالسنة‬, 74
71For example, ―No one stood except Zaid‖. In this sentence, position of exception is
shifted within the sentence, rather than being at the end. Meaning remains unchanged.
73 As an example of this, let us consider following two ayahs:

-
―Divorced women remain in waiting for three quroo…‖ (Quran 1:228)
-
―O You who have believed, when you marry believing women and then divorce them
before you have touched them, then there is not for you any waiting period to count
concerning them. So provide for them and give them a gracious release‖ (Quran 33:49)
In this ayah we see the one Quranic verse has done the specification within another verse.
In the first verse, hukm was regarding those believing women, in general, who get
divorced. In the second ayah, takhsees was done for a particular situation.
74Let us review an ayah and a hadith to clarify this:

- ―… And lawful to you are [all others] beyond these, [provided] that you seek them [in
marriage] with [gifts from] your property, desiring chastity, not unlawful sexual
intercourse‖ (Quran 33:49)
- ―One should not combine in marriage a woman with her father's sister, or her
mother's sister‖ (Sahih Muslim, 1408)
52
- A Quranic utterance may exclude from the generality of a sunnaic
utterance (‫ ) وتخصيص السنة بالكتاب‬, 75 and
- A sunnaic utterance may exclude from the generality another sunnaic

utterance ( ‫ ) تخصيص انسنت ببنسنت‬76.
- Analogy may exclude from the generality a Quranic or Sunnaic
utterance (‫بالقياس‬ ‫) تخصيص النطق‬77
In this case, a hadith has specified the ayah by mentioning what is not included in the
general permissibility of the ayah.
75Let us consider a hadith and an ayah to explain this:

- "Allah does not accept prayer of anyone of you if he does passes wind till he performs
the ablution (anew)‖ (Sahih Bukhari – 6954)
- ―O you who have believed, when you rise to [perform] prayer, wash your faces and
your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the
ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or
on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have
contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your
faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He
intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you that you may be grateful‖
(Quran 5:6)
The ayah specifies the hadith by explaining the specific situation with regards to
performing tayammum.
76Let us consider two ahadith to clarify this:

- "On land that is watered by rain or springs or any natural means there is (zakat to pay
of) a tenth. On irrigated land there is (zakat of) a twentieth (to pay)." (Muwatta Imam
Malik, Kitab uz Zakah)
- "No Zakat is due on property mounting to less than five Uqiyas (of silver), and no
Zakat is due on less than five camels, and there is no Zakat on less than five Wasqs."
[A Wasqs equals 180 Kg approximately] (Sahih Bukhari, 1405)
We see through these two ahadith that generic case in first hadith has been made specific
in the second hadith excluding those naturally watered lands which do not meet the
minimum threshold criteria.
53
By utterance, we mean something that was said by Allah Most High or by the
Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace).
77Example of that is reduction in the prescribed punishment for adultery committed by

slaves to half of what is prescribed for free unmarried men and women
54
CLEAR (Mubayyan) AND UNCLEAR

(Mujmal) EXPRESSIONS
An unclear (also called ‗summarized‘ or ‗obscure‘ speech) utterance (‫ )المجمـل‬is

something that needs elaboration or explanation (‫)البيـان‬78 , 79. Explanation is to
take something from the sphere of ambiguity (‫ )اإلشـكال‬into the sphere of clarity
(‫ )التجلـي‬80.
78It is to be noted that ‗bayan‘ refers to ‗explanation‘ and what is explained is called
‗mubayyan‘. From the same root word, ‗mubeen‘ means the one who explains.
79Sheikh Abdur Rahman bin Nasir Sad‘ee explains:

―And from the texts are the mujmal (comprehensive) and mubayyan (explicit). Whatever
the Lawgiver has made something comprehensive in one place, yet made it explicit in
another, then it is obligatory to return to what the Lawgiver made mubayyan (explicit).
Many of the rulings in the Quran are mujmal (comprehensive) in nature, but have been
explicitly explained in the Sunnah. So it is obligatory to return to the bayan (explicit
clarification) of the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬, since he is the clear explainer from Allah.‖
80Mujmal does not allow understanding of what is meant except by something else
specifying it, clarifying its description or its amount (e.g. ―establishing the prayer‖).
An example of what is understood to be from the word itself in its original form is the
word sky, land, mountain, justice, injustice, sincerity; these words and the like are
understood, and do not need something else to explain them.
An example of what is understood after clarification is the saying of the Most High:
'And establish the prayer and pay the Zakat' (2:43)
55
A definitive utterance (‫النص‬, ‗nass‟) is what can only have one meaning. Some
say it is a speech whose interpretation is its revelation.
The word nass is etymologically derived from the bride‘s minassa (‫)منصـة العـروس‬,
i.e., her seat.
A probabilistic utterance (or apparent speech) (‫الظاهر‬, ‗dhahir‟) is what accepts

two meanings, one of which is likelier than the other. A probabilistic utterance
may be figuratively interpreted when there is proof, and [its meaning is] then
called apparent by virtue of evidence (‫)الظـاهر بالدليل‬.
In above verse, the meaning of ‗establishing‘ and ‗giving‘ are both unclear. Both words
become clear when we refer to specific utterance from the Sunnah or our beloved
Messenger Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬.
Similarly, the word riba‘ is an example of a mujmal term, even though it literally means
an ‗increase‘. Although we know its literal meaning, we do not know what is meant by
the context in which Allah SWT mentions it – until it was specified through hadith: a
specific increase which is free from any substitute or reward in those transactions which
are muqaddara (those items which are sold through measurement) and mutajaanisa
(items which are the same). Therefore, you cannot sell ‗one date‘ for ‗two dates‘ – that will
be riba. Without this explanation, the literal word riba‘ does not indicate towards this
meaning, and therefore cannot be understood through pondering, until the lawmaker
(Allah or the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬on Allah‘s commands) explains it for us (Abdul Aleem, 2015,
p. 44).
Ruling regarding Acting on Mujmal (texts):

The Mukallaf person must act upon the mujmal when the explanation is made clear to him.
The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬explained to his nation of followers all the legislation, its principals and
subsidiary matters, so much so that he left the nation on a clear and pure white path, its
night like that of its day, and he did not leave explaining something at the time of need at
all.
And the Prophet's ‫ ﷺ‬explanation was either delivered orally, or in deed, or by word
and deed both.
56
THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF PROPHETIC ACTIONS81
81 Sheikh Salih Al-Munajjid explains the role of Sunnah as follows (al-Munajjid, 2014b):
―We will present, with the help of Allaah, the principles and bases of the importance of
the Sunnah, the obligation to follow it and the ruling concerning those who reject it. By so
doing, we will also refute the doubters and the misguided group who call themselves
―Quraniyyeen‖ (the Quran has nothing to do with them!) In sha Allaah this discussion
will be of benefit to everyone who wants to understand the truth of the matter.
Proof of the importance of the Sunnah
(1) The Quran speaks of the importance of the Sunnah, for example:
(a) Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): ―He who obeys the Messenger has indeed
obeyed Allaah . . .‖ [al-Nisaa‘ 4:80] Allaah described obedience to the Prophet (peace be
upon him) as being a part of obedience to Him. Then He made a connection between
obedience to Him and obedience to the Prophet (peace be upon him): ―O you who
believe! Obey Allaah and obey the Messenger . . .‖ [al-Nisaa‘ 4:59]
(b) Allaah warns us not to go against the Prophet (peace be upon him), and states that
whoever disobeys him will be doomed to eternal Hell. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning): ―. . . And let those who oppose the Messenger‘s commandment beware, lest
some fitnah (trial, affliction, etc.) befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them.‖
[al-Nur 24:63]
(c) Allaah has made obedience to His Prophet a religious duty; resisting or opposing it is
a sign of hypocrisy: ―‖But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you
[Muhammad] judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance
against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.‖ [al-Nisaa‘ 4:65]
(d) Allaah commands His slaves to respond to Him and His Messenger: ―O you who
believe! Answer Allaah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he calls you to that
which will give you life . . .‖ [al-Anfaal 8:24]
(e) Allaah also commands His slaves to refer all disputes to him: ―. . . (And) if you differ
in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allaah and His Messenger . . .‖ [al-Nisaa‘ 4:59]
(2) The Sunnah itself indicates the importance of the Sunnah. For example:
57
(a) Al-Tirmidhi reported from Abu Raafi‘ and others that the Prophet (peace be upon
him) said: ―I do not want to see any one of you reclining on his couch and, when he hears
of my instructions or prohibitions, saying ‗I don‘t accept it; we didn‘t find any such thing
in the Book of Allaah.‘‖ Abu ‗Eesaa said: This is a saheeh hasan hadeeth. (See Sunan al-
Tirmidhi, Shaakir edition, no. 2663).
Al-‘Irbaad ibn Saariyah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet
(peace be upon him) said: ―Would any of you think, reclining on his couch, that Allaah
would only describe what is forbidden in the Quran? I tell you, by Allaah, that I have
warned and commanded and prohibited things that are as important as what is in the
Quran, if not more so.‖ (Reported by Abu Dawud, Kitaab al-Khiraj wa‘l-imaarah wa‘l-
fay‘).
(b) Abu Dawud also reported from al-‘Irbaad ibn Saariyah, may Allaah be pleased with
him, that ―the Messenger of Allaah (peace be upon him) led us in prayer one day, then he
turned to us and exhorted us strongly . . . (he said), ‗Pay attention to my sunnah (way)
and the way of the Rightly-guided Khaleefahs after me, adhere to it and hold fast to it.‘‖
(Saheeh Abi Dawud, Kitaab al-Sunnah).
(3) The scholars‘ consensus (ijmaa‘) affirming the importance of the Sunnah.
Al-Shaafi‘i, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: ―I do not know of anyone among the
Sahaabah and Taabi‘een who narrated a report from the Messenger of Allaah (peace be
upon him) without accepting it, adhering to it and affirming that this was sunnah. Those
who came after the Taabi‘een, and those whom we met did likewise: they all accepted the
reports and took them to be sunnah, praising those who followed them and criticizing
those who went against them. Whoever deviated from this path would be regarded by us
as having deviated from the way of the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
and the scholars who followed them, and would be considered as one of the ignorant.
(4) Common sense indicates the importance of the Sunnah.
The fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allaah indicates that
we must believe everything he said and obey every command he gave. It goes without
saying that he has told us things and given instructions in addition to what is in the
Quran. It is futile to make a distinction between the Sunnah and the Quran when it comes
to adhering to it and responding to it. It is obligatory to believe in what he has told us,
and to obey his instructions.
The ruling concerning those who deny the importance of the Sunnah is that they are
kaafirs, because they deny and reject a well-known and undeniable part of the religion‖.
58
A prophetic action is either performed out of worship and obedience or not82.
If it is performed out of worship and obedience, then if a proof indicates that it

is specific to him, it is understood accordingly; otherwise, it is not made specific
to him because Allah Most High said, ―Verily in the messenger of Allah you
have a good example.‖ (33:21)
According to some of our scholars, it is then interpreted as being obligatory,

according to others, it is interpreted as being recommended, and according to
others, judgment is suspended regarding it.
If it is not done out of worship and obedience, it is interpreted as being

permissible.
The Prophet‘s corroboration83 of what someone else says is like his saying it
himself, and his corroboration of what someone else does is like his doing it
himself.
If he knew about something that was done in his absence during his lifetime
and did not condemn it, then it is as if the action was done in his presence.
82 A matter that is not performed as an act of worship would mean that it could be his
personal preference or choice. It can also include human characteristics such as eye-
blinking, breathing etc.
83 Validation, Support
59
Abrogation (‫)الىســـخ‬
Naskh means removal or to cause to pass away (‫)اإلزالـة‬: as it is said, ( ‫نسـخت الشـمس‬
‫― )الظـل‬The sun did naskh of the shade,‖ when it makes it disappear.
Naskh also means to transfer or copy (‫)النقـل‬: as it is said, (‫― )نسخت ما في هذا الكتاب‬I
did naskh of the contents of this book,‖ when one transfers them.
[In terms of Usul], it is defined as: an address that separately indicates the
removal of a ruling established by a previous address in such a way that
without [the second speech] the value would remain.84 There must be a delay
[between the first speech and the second.]
84―Technically, Abrogation means to remove a legal ruling or its wording, with another
evidence from the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
What is meant by our words 'remove a ruling' is, for example, to change from an obligation
to permissibility or from permissibility to prohibition. What is not meant by this is the
non-implementation of a ruling because of a condition or the presence of a preventative
factor, such as the lifting of the obligation of Zakah because of not meeting the limit set,
or the obligation of the prayer due to the presence of menstruation; these are not referred
to as Abrogation.
What is meant by our words 'or its wording' is the wording which is a legal proof because
abrogation can either be the ruling without the wording or vice versa or both; as we shall
see below. And what are not included by 'based on another evidence from the Quran and
Sunnah‘ are evidences from consensus and analogy, as they cannot abrogate‖. (al-
Uthaymin, 2013)
And abrogating is acceptable, intellectually, and is a legal (Shariah) reality.
60
Wisdom behind Abrogation:

It is because in Allah's hand is total power and authority, because the Lord is the owner,
He may legislate whatever his wisdom and mercy necessitates for His slaves, so does the
intellect prevent us from seeing that the Possessor orders those He possesses however He
wants? His wisdom and mercy with his servants also necessitates that He legislates for
them what is in their best interests in the worldly life and the hereafter. Benefits differ
from time to place. So one ruling at certain time or state may be more beneficial for the
slaves than at another time or state, and Allah is All-Knowing and the All- Wise.
The Wisdom of Abrogation is explained by Sheikh Ibn Ul-Uthaymeen as follows:
There are many wisdoms for Abrogation; from them:
- Taking into account the interests of people by legislating what is best for them in their
religious and worldly affairs.
- Gradually developing the legislation until it reaches perfection.
- Testing the mukallafeen (those upon whom Shar'i injunctions are binding), their
readiness to accept the transition from one rule to another and being content with it.
- Testing the mukallafeen to see if they give thanks for when the abrogation makes things
lighter for them, to see if they are patient when the abrogating text is harder for them.
Some Shariah evidences dealing with abrogation are mentioned below:
―We do not abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one]
better than it or similar to it.‖ (2:106)
―Now, Allah has lightened [the hardship] for you‖ (8:66)
The saying of the Prophet ‫― ﷺ‬I used to forbid you from visiting graves so visit them
(from now on)‖. This text abrogated the prohibition of visiting the graves.
What Prevents Abrogation Taking Place:
Abrogation is prevented from the taking place in the following cases:
i. News, because abrogation only deals with rulings, as abrogation of one of the two
pieces of news means one of them has to be a lie, and lying is impossible in news that
Allah and His Messenger bring. However if a change in situation happens, then this can
be abrogated.
ii. The rulings that are of benefit in every time and place, such as Tawhid, the principles of
faith, worship and morals of honesty and chastity, generosity, courage, and so on, cannot
be abrogated. Likewise the prohibition of all that is evil in every age and place like Shirk
61
TYPES OF NASKH IN TERMS WHAT GETS ABROGATED:
(‫)أقسام النسخ باعتبار المنسوخ‬
A text can be abrogated while the value [it indicates or ‗ruling‘] remains; a
value can be abrogated while the text remains, or both can be abrogated
together.85
and kufr as well as bad character such as lying, immorality; greed and cowardice etc.,
since the laws are for the well-being of people and to repel evil from them.
Conditions of Abrogation:
The conditions for Abrogation that are required for what can be abrogated include:
i. Two evidences that cannot be combined, because if they can be, then there is no
abrogation since the possibility to act on both of them exits.
ii. Knowledge of the fact that the abrogating text was revealed later, known either
through a text, something learnt from a companion or via history.
An example of knowledge that is known to have come later is the saying of the Prophet
Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬authorized mu‟tah (temporary marriage) in earlier times and then
forbade it in accordance with Allah‘s command in later period till the Day of Resurrection
(Sahih Muslim 1406).
And an example of knowledge reaching us by way of information from a companion is

the statement of A'ishah R.A. in which she reported explained about nullification of
marriage based on certain acts between husband and wife (Sahih Muslim 1452).
And an example of knowledge garnered through history occurs in the saying of the Most
High: 'Now Allah has lightened the burden from you‖. The word 'now' indicates that this
ruling is the latter (of whatever preceded it of the same issue). Similarly, if it were stated
that the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬gave a ruling for something before the migration, and then gave
another ruling after that which opposed the first then the second one would be counted
as the abrogating one.
Abrogation is divided into three segments with regards to the abrogated text (al-
85
Munajjid, 2013; al-Uthaymin, 2013):
62
Some abrogation substitutes [a new requirement for the old one], and some
does not. Some abrogation results in a tougher [requirement], and some in a
lighter [requirement.]
TYPES OF NASKH IN TERMS SOURCE FOR ABROGATION:
- When the ruling has been abrogated and the wording has remained as seen from the
following verses of Qur'an. 'If there are among you twenty [who are] steadfast, they
will overcome two hundred;' (8:65). Its ruling abrogated by the saying of the Most
High: 'Now, Allah has lightened [the hardship] for you, and He knows that among
you is weakness. So if there are from you one hundred [who arc] steadfast, they will
overcome two hundred. And if there are among you a thousand, they will overcome
two thousand by the permission of Allah. And Allah is with the steadfast.‘ (8:66)
And the wisdom of abrogating the ruling and not the verse is to allow the reward of
reciting it to remain, and a reminder to the Muslim nation of the wisdom of
abrogation.
- When the wording has been abrogated but the ruling remains, such as the
abrogation of the verse which speaks of the five breast-feedings by which the
relationship of mahram is established between the infant and the woman who
breastfeeds him or her.
The wisdom of abrogating the wording but not the ruling is to test the Ummah to see if
they will act upon something that is not in the Qur'an and fulfilling their belief in
what Allah has revealed the exact opposite of the state of the Jews that tried to hide
abrogation mentioned in Torah.
Shaykh ‗Abd ar-Rahmaan as-Sa‗di (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Naskh (abrogation) means moving; thus the meaning of abrogation is moving those
who are accountable from one prescribed ruling to another, or waiving the ruling. The
Jews used to condemn abrogation and claim that it was not permissible, even though
it was referred to in the Torah; thus their rejection of it constituted disbelief and was
based on pure whims and desires.
- What has been abrogated both in wording as well as ruling: such as the abrogation
of the ten breast feedings as in the previous narration of A'ishah R.A.
63
(‫)أنواع النسخ باعتبار الناسخ‬86
It is possible for:
- the Quran to be abrogated by Quran, and

- the Sunnah to be abrogated by the Quran87
- What is collectively transmitted can be abrogated by what is collectively
transmitted, and
- what is individually transmitted can be abrogated by what is
individually or collectively transmitted,
- What is collectively transmitted CANNOT be abrogated by what is
individually transmitted.
86 Sheikh Al-Uthaymeen explains:
The majority has stipulated that the abrogating text has to be stronger than what it is
abrogating or at least similar, therefore the mutawatir (the narration that has multiple
narrators) would not be abrogated by narrations that are ahad (narrations that have a
single narrator at each level of the chain), even if it is established (as a correct narration),
what is most correct is that it not be stipulated whether or not the abrogating text be
stronger or similar, reason being the purpose of the abrogation is the ruling, and so it
should require it to be mutawatir for it to take place.
87Example of abrogation of the Sunnah by the Qur'an is the case of abrogation of facing
the Sacred House in Jerusalem which was established by the Sunnah, to facing the Ka'bah
which was in turn established by the saying of the Most High.
64
Decoding Apparent Conflicts (‫)التعارض‬:

Reconciliation vs. Preponderance
CONFLICT AND PREPONDERANCE
When two statements conflict, then either:
- Both are general, or

- Both are specific, or
- One is general and the other is specific, or
- Each is general from one perspective and specific from another.
If both are general, and it is possible to reconcile between them, ten one has to
reconcile them.
If it is not possible to reconcile them, then if the dates are unknown, judgment
regarding each of them is suspended. The same applies when both are specific.
If one is general, and the other is specific, then the general is specified by the
specific. If each is general from one perspective and specific from another
perspective, then the generality of each is specified by the specificity of the
other.88
88Following is a useful explanation ―Lessons In Usul And Fiqh From Various Madhaahib‖
(Ibrahim, 2009):
65
Taa'rud means conflict.
In Usul al Fiqh, Taa‟rud means that two evidence of Shariah are of equal strength and they
seem in opposition to each other (Doğan, 2015). A conflict is thus not expected to occur if
the two evidences are of unequal strength, because the stronger evidence will prevail. For
this reason, there will be no conflict between a Qati‟i (conclusive) and dhanni (non-
definite) proof.
If, however, the opposite is required by 2 Quranic Ayat or by a Quranic Ayat and a
Mutawatir Hadith (these two are considered equal in authenticity) or by two Ahad Hadith
(difference of opinion in this), then, there is a conflict.
Conflict can only arise, if the rulings of the two evidences cannot be reconciled. This
means that the subject matter of one cannot be distinguished from the other or the time
sequence of them cannot be distinguished (that is it cannot be ascertained which one is
the latter).
A genuine conflict can hardly arise between Qati‟i (definite) proofs. All such conflicts are
apparent, rather than real. Such apparent conflicts can be resolved by reconciliation, by
specification or by giving preference of one over the other.
A conflict between Nasus (explicit texts of the Quran and the Sunnah) and Ijma is
inconceivable as Ijma cannot violate Nass.
So, following procedure can be adopted to deal with conflict:
- A Mujtahid must try to reconcile the apparent conflict in which case both the evidence
will be applicable in different sets of circumstances.
- If this is not possible, he should try to prefer one over the other, thus at least one
evidence will be kept.
- If this is not possible, then, he should see the time sequence and apply the principle of
abrogation.
- In this way the later evidence will be retained and the earlier one in time will stand
abrogated (however such cases are very few).
- If this is also not possible, both the evidences will be abandoned. When two evidence
in conflict are Al-Am (general), one may try to distinguish the subject matter of
application (for instance one may be applicable to adult and the other to the minor or
one may be applicable to married people and the other to unmarried people.)
- If one evidence is Am (general) and the other Khass (specific), the solution is Takhsis al
Amm (specification of a part of Am).
- As regards, cases where both the rulings cannot be retained because of apparent
conflict, the following rules of preference should be applied :
66
- Clear texts will be preferred over unclear texts

- Sarih will be preferred over Kinayah, Haqiqi over Majazi and so on.
- Mutawatir Hadith will be preferred over Mashhur and Mashhur will be preferred over
Ahad
- Hadith transmitted by Faqih or leading companions are preferred over others.
- Another rule of preference is that affirmative rule takes priority over negative.
- Similarly prohibition takes priority over permissibility.
If attempts at reconciliation or preference fail, then resort should be taken to abrogation

(Naskh).
In the case of conflict of two Qiyas, if the two cannot be reconciled, one may be given
preference.
67
Scholarly Consensus (‫)اإلجمــاع‬
Scholarly consensus is ―the agreement of the scholars of a generation on the ruling of

an occurrence‖89.
By ―scholars‖ we mean ―scholars of Sacred Law,‖ (‫ )الفقهـاء‬and by ―occurrence‖

we mean ―an occurrence that relates to Sacred Law.‖ (‫)الحادثـة الشـرعية‬
The consensus of this community, and no other, is an authoritative proof,

because [the Prophet] has said ―my community does not agree upon an error.‖90
91
89In Islamic terminology, Ijma was defined by az-Zarkashi (may Allah have mercy on
him) as follows (Al-Munajjid, 2013): It is the unanimous agreement of the mujtahid
scholars of the Ummah of Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) after
his death concerning some issue at any particular time (al-Bahr al-Muheet).
Sheikh Sajid Umar explains it as follows: The agreement of all the mujtahids from among
the Muslims in a determined period after the death of Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬upon a
rule of Islamic law (Sheikh Sajid Umar, 2012).
90At-Tirmidhi (2167) - Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami‗ as-Sagheer,

no. 1848
91Another similar hadith from Musnad Ahmed also conveys this point:
Ahmad (may Allah‘s mercy be upon him) narrated in his Musnad (27224) from Abu
Basrah al-Ghifaari, the companion of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) said: ―I asked my Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, for four things, and He
granted me three of them and withheld one from me. I asked Allah, may He be glorified
and exalted, not to cause my Ummah to agree on misguidance, and He granted me that.‖
68
Revelation has mentioned that this religious community is divinely protected

from error.
Scholarly consensus is binding on subsequent generations, regardless of when

the consensus occurred92. The correct position is that generational demise is not
a condition. Someone who holds that it is a condition will also take into
consideration the position of someone who is born during their lifetimes,
studies Sacred Law, and becomes a mujtahid, and he will also allow them to go
back on their judgment.
Scholarly consensus can be established by their statements, by their actions, or

by the statements or actions of some when the statements or actions are well-
known and the others remain silent.
According to Shafiì's later position, the position of one Companion is not

binding on anyone else.
92Scholars have various opinions about what types of Ijma can be binding on subsequent
generations. (A. bin H. Ali, 2010)
69
Transmitted Reports (‫)األخبــــار‬
A report is something that can be described as being true or false. One may
sometimes be certain of its truth or falsehood.
Reports93 are either:
- non-mass-transmitted (‫)آحاد‬, or
- mass-transmitted (‫)متواتر‬
A mass-transmitted report94 is what gives certainty. It is when a group that

cannot conspire to lie narrates from a similar group all the way back to the
matter that is reported, which must be something that is seen or heard.
93Knowledge of this aspect is required to understand which ahadith/ akhbar can be

considered as evidence for certain ruling and which can‘t be - based on parameters and
factors defined under the illustrious branch of knowledge known as ‗Usul al-hadith‘.
APPENDIX 1 provides a very useful visual overview of hadith classifications.
94 Mutawatir / Tawatur is a Daleel transmitted by a large number of people. Due to the

large number of people reporting the Daleel and their diversity of residence, reliability,
and conviction, it is inconceivable that this Daleel could be fabricated. The character of the
reporters narrating Mutawatir Ahadith has to be noble. This aspect is studied in detail by
muhaditheen (hadith scholars) who analyse biographies of narrators, strength of their
memories, their historical acceptability and correctness in narrating and other relevant
factors.
70
A non-mass-transmitted report is what obligates implementation but does not

give certainty.
It is of two types:
- Contiguous (‫)مسند‬, and

- Interrupted (‫)مرسل‬
A contiguous report is one with a connected chain of transmission.
An interrupted report is one with a disconnected chain of transmission.
As a broader rule, following can be considered the basis of classification (Hilal, 2004):
Ahad riwayat can be further classified as below:
The three subcategories within ‗Ahad‘ are as follows:

Mashoor: A Hadith reported by at least three individuals in every class (Sahabah, Tabi‟een,
etc.).
Aziz: A Hadith reported by at least two individuals in every class.
Gharib: A Hadith reported by only one individual in one or more classes.
Further classification and analysis of authenticity can be explained as well but we will
leave it for the subject on usul al-hadith to remain focussed on our subject area here i.e.
introduction to usul al-fiqh.
71
If the one who omits a narrator is other than a companion, then an interrupted
report is not binding proof (‫)حجة‬.
Exclusion to this are the interrupted reports of narrator Saìd b. al-Musayyib,

which have been investigated and found to be contiguous95.
WORDING OF TRANSMITTED REPORTS:
Contiguous chains of transmission may contain the word, ―from‖ („an).
- When the teacher reads, it is permissible for the narrator to say both
―haddathani‖ (‫ )حدثني‬and ―akhbarani‖ (‫)أخبرني‬.
- If the narrator reads to the teacher, then he may say, ―akhbarani‖ but
not ―haddathani‖.
- If the teacher gives him permission (‫ )أجازه‬to narrate from him without
any actual narration, he should say, ―ajazani‖ (‫ )أجازني‬or ―akhbarani
ijazatan‖(‫) أخبرني إجازة‬.
95 Muwatta' makes it clear to us that Imam Malik uses mursal, munqati' and balaghat
hadiths but does not explain how he chose them because the book does not go into the
problems concerning the isnads. The reason for this is that the noble Imam only
transmitted from people in whose mursal and balaghat hadith he had absolute confidence.
That is why his great concern was with the choice of transmitter. When he had confidence
in the character, intelligence and knowledge of the transmitter, he dispensed with the
chain of narration.
72
Analogy (‫)القيـــاس‬
Analogy or Qiyas96 is relating the branch to the root by a common characteristic

that gives them the same value.
96 Literally, Qiyas means measuring or ascertaining the length, weight or quality of

something. Scales are called „miqyas‟ which is derived from the same root word. Qiyas
also means comparison – equality or similarity between two things.
Technically; Qiyas is an:
Extension of a Shariah value (wajib, haram, mubah, mandoob, and makrooh)

from an original case (asl)
to a new case (far‘),
because the latter has the same effective cause (illah) as the former.
The original case is ruled by the Quran or Sunnah and qiyas aims to extend the same
ruling to the new case based on the same illah.
It was defined by Ibn Qudaamah R.A. as follows:
―Giving a ruling concerning a novel issue (i.e., one that is not directly mentioned in shar‗i
texts) that is the same as the ruling on a basic issue (i.e., one that is directly mentioned in
shar‗i texts), on the basis of some common factor between the two issues.‖ (1998 ,‫)ابه قـدامـة‬
Sheikh Yahya Ibrahim explains (Ibrahim, 2009):
Qiyas is when scholars of Islamic Shariah establish an understanding by looking at

something similar to the issue, or to the opposite of it.
Why the opposite? Because, ―some things are better known by their opposites‖.
For example, if there were no darkness how would we know what light is?
As such, when we enter the mosque, the Sunnah is to enter with our right foot. So, by
analogy or ―Qiyas‖ the scholars have said that if we enter a place of righteousness with
73
the right foot, then a place of filth, such as the washroom, should be entered with the left
foot.
Sheikh Salih Al-Munajjid explains:
There are four pillars or components of analogy:

- the basic issue (asl),
- the novel issue (far‟),
- the ruling (hukm) and
- the common factor (illah).
These components may be understood further by giving an example. If we say, for

example, that nabeedh is an intoxicant, then it is haram like khamr (wine).
(Nabidh or Nabeedh is a drink traditionally made from fruits such as raisins/grapes or dates.
Nabidh may be non-intoxicating, mildy intoxicating, or heavily intoxicating depending on the
level of fermentation. The type of Nabeedh discussed in this example is the intoxicating one.)
- In this case the basic issue (asl) is khamr. This is called the basis of the analogy,
which is the issue or item of which the text speaks or on which there is consensus.
- The novel issue (far‟) is nabeedh, which is the matter concerning which analogy is
made. This is the matter concerning which there is no text or consensus; it is the
issue for which we want to find the shara‗i ruling.
- The ruling (hukam) is that it is prohibited. This refers to a ruling that is proven
concerning the basic issue, whether on the basis of a text or consensus, and
whether the ruling is one of prohibition or otherwise, which we want to transfer to
the novel issue concerning which there is no evidence or direct mention in any
text.
- The common factor is intoxication. The factor is the reason for which the Lawgiver
issued a ruling concerning the basic issue.
Visually, we can summarize it as follows:
74
Consuming Alcohol Consuming nabeedh
ASL FAR’
(Original Issue for (A novel issue about
which Shariah ruling which ruling is being
is available) found through qiyas)
1 2
ILLAH/
REASON
Intoxicating Effects
HUKM/
HUKM/ Common Illah,
Therefore, RULING FOR
RULING FOR Common Ruling NABEEDH
ALCOHOL i.e. Haram
Haram
Haram
(Identified)
4
QIYAS – VISUAL EXPLANATION OF ITS 4 INGREDIENTS
It is worth noting that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used
analogy in his fatwas to point out this principle to the people and teach it to them.
For example:
Al-Bukhaari (1852) narrated from Ibn ‗Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) that a
woman from Juhaynah came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
and said: My mother vowed to perform Hajj, but she did not perform Hajj before she
died; can I perform Hajj on her behalf? He said: ―Yes, perform Hajj on her behalf. Don‘t
you think that that if your mother owed a debt, wouldn‘t you pay it off? So pay off the
75
[In other words, Analogy is equating of a derivative case with an original case
through a legal cause that unites them in their legal ruling].
It is of three types:
- Causal analogy (‫)قياس علة‬

- Indicative analogy, (‫ )قيسا داللة‬and
- Resemblance-analogy (‫)قياس شبه‬
Causal analogy is where the legal cause necessitates the legal ruling.
Indicative analogy is to adduce one of two similar cases as evidence for the
other; this happens when the legal cause indicates the legal ruling but does not
necessitate it.
Resemblance-analogy consists of a derivative case that alternates between two

original cases and is given the ruling of the one that it resembles the most.
One of the conditions of the derivative case (Far' - ‫ )الفرع‬is that it be compatible
with the original case.
One of the conditions of the original case (‗asl‘ - ‫ )األصل‬is that it be established
with a proof that both disputants agree on97.
debt owed to Allah, for Allah is more deserving of having debts owed to Him being paid
off.‖
97Application of Qiyas, as a legal tool, can also involve parties looking for a ruling
through a court case as it is not restricted to finding rulings on matters of halal and haram
at individual level.
76
One of the conditions of the legal cause (‗illah‟ - ‫ )’العلة‬is that it be consistently
present in the legal rulings that it causes so that neither its attribute nor its
purpose is inconsistent.
One of the conditions of the legal ruling (‗hukm‟ - ‫ )الحكم‬is that it follow the legal
cause in absence and presence. The legal cause is what attracts and the legal
ruling is what is attracted to the legal cause.
PROHIBITION, PERMISSION, AND THE PRESUMPTION OF CONTINUITY
Some say that all matters are prohibited (‫ )الحظر‬until the Sacred Law permits
them: if, therefore, there is nothing in the Sacred Law that indicates
permissibility, we should default to the original state, which is prohibition.
Others say the opposite, namely that the initial assumption about matters is
that they are permitted (‫ )اإلباحة‬except for those that the Sacred Law has
prohibited.
―Presumption of continuity‖ means that the original state is assumed to persist

when the Sacred Law doesn‘t indicate otherwise.
PRIORITIZATION OF EVIDENCES AND PROOFS:
As for proofs, clear proofs are given precedence over obscure ones, proofs that
afford certain knowledge over those that afford probabilistic knowledge,
statements over analogy, and clear analogy over obscure analogy.
77
If a statement comprises something that changes the original state, it is

implemented; otherwise, one presumes the continuity of the original state.
78
Independent Interpretation and

Following Qualified Scholarship
IJTIHAD, GIVING FATWA
Among the prerequisites of a mujtahid98 (‫ )شــزوط انًفتــي‬is that:
98Ulema have set certain standards (laid down criteria) for the 'Mujtahid' (a highly skilled
scholar who is qualified to deduce legal rulings from the sources). Imam Al-Juvaini
explains these qualities in three simple points. However, it may be useful to have an
overview of opinions of some other scholars as well for a comparative study.
Following is a brief overview:
Imam Shafi’i:
Imam Ibn Qayyim R.A. references a quote from Imam Ash-Sahfi R.A. (2006 ,‫;الجوزية‬
―Ijtihaad - criteria and categories,‖ 2001):
―It is not permissible for anybody to give Islamic legal opinion (fatwa) who is not well
versed in Quran and is well acquainted with the science of abrogation as well as the
following science i.e. the science of those verses which are explicit in their commands and
those verses which are Mutashabih (implicit), the science of Ta‟weel and Tanzeel and the
science of knowing which chapter (surah) was revealed in the venerable city of Mecca and
which were revealed in the illumined city of Medina Al Munawarah. Apart from the
above-mentioned sciences, he should also be well acquainted with the science of the
traditions of the Holy Prophet Mohammed ‫ﷺ‬. He should also be knowledgeable in
those sciences of the Quran, which are directly related to the Ahadith. He should be
familiar with Arabic and Arabic poetry as well as being familiar with all the things which
are necessary for the understanding of the Quran and the sayings of the Holy Prophet
Mohammed ‫ﷺ‬. In addition he should be well versed with the various opinions of the
Islamic scholars on Islamic issues. All the above conditions should become second nature
to him due to excessive repetition. When one reaches such a stage, i.e. possesses all the
79
above conditions, only then is he allowed issuing Islamic legal opinions (Fatwa). One who
has not reached such a position is not allowed to give Islamic legal opinion‖.
Imam Ahmed Bin Hanbal:
Saleh bin Ahmed R.A. states that he asked his father Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal R.A. about
his view regarding an individual who, upon being questioned concerning an Islamic
issue, answers in correspondence with the Hadith and his answer collaborates with a
statement of the holy prophet Mohammad ‫ﷺ‬, in spite of him not possessing the
knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence. In reply Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal R.A., stated that
when an individual reaches the esteemed position of jurisconsult, it becomes incumbent
for him to have knowledge of all the various views and propositions regarding the holy
Quran as well as having familiarities with the traditions of the holy Prophet Mohammad
‫ ﷺ‬and being a master of the authentic chain of narrations. He then quoted all the
prerequisites which are quoted above from Imam Shafi'i.(―Ijtihaad - criteria and
categories,‖ 2001)
Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen:
Following explanation from Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen highlights some important

considerations to avoid mis-guidance:
―The one who is able to engage in ijtihaad can find out the truth for himself, but he must
have vast knowledge and study the shara‘i texts, and understand the guidelines on
deriving rulings and be aware of the views of the scholars, lest he fall into that which is
contrary to Islam. Some people are seekers of knowledge (taalib al-‗ilm) who have only a
little knowledge, but they set themselves up as mujtahids, so you see them acting on the
basis of ahadith which are general (al-am) in meaning but have other reports which make
them specific (i.e. takhsees), or they act on the basis of abrogated ahadith and do not
know of the texts that abrogate them, or they act on the basis of ahadith (about) which the
scholars are unanimously agreed (that their real meanings) are different from their
apparent meanings, but they are unaware of this scholarly consensus. Such a person is in
grave danger.
The Mujtahid must have knowledge of the shara‘i evidence and knowledge of the basic
principles (usul) and scholarly views which, if he knows them, he will be able to derive
rulings based on that evidence without unwittingly going against scholarly consensus. If
these conditions are met in his case, then he may engage in ijtihaad.
Ijtihaad may be focused on a narrow area, so a person may research one issue of
knowledge and examine it thoroughly, and become a mujtahid with regard to that issue,
or he could focus on one aspect of knowledge, such as issues having to do with tahaarah
80
(purification), which he researches and examines, and thus becomes a mujtahid in that
area‖ (1999 ,‫)خالد بن عبد الرحمن الجريسي‬.
Dr. Abdul Azim Islahi (‫)جامعة الملك عبدالعزيز‬:
Qualities of Mujtahids mentioned in al-Waraqat can be read in conjunction with the

following explanation regarding conditions for mujtahids elaborated by Dr. Abdul Azim
Islahi (―Conditions of a Mujtahid,‖ 2004). This explanation is suitable for beginners as it is
written in a really simple language and points outs the opportunities for further learning.
"To ensure correct decision in the progress of Ijtihad and prevent the non-qualified from
exercising it, the Ùlema have prescribed certain conditions. Let us examine them in the
context of the present time.
i. Piety (At-Taqwa) has been considered the most basic condition for a mujtahid (one who
is qualified for Ijtihad). Since Ijtihad is a sacred duty and religious responsibility, qualities
like honesty, integrity and piety must be found in a person who exercises Ijtihad. But
piety is a matter of the heart, as once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
"Piety is here." One cannot measure the piety of another except by knowing that a person
is apparently regular in performing the obligations of Shariah: he avoids sins, and does
not get involved in temptation that tarnishes his reputation.
ii. Knowledge of the spirit and objectives of Shariah: It is also important in making a
decision and forming an opinion to understand the spirit of Shariah, and have the
knowledge of its objectives. This can be achieved by a thorough study of the rules and
injunctions of the Shariah and analysis of it. It is easy now to know more as a number of
studies have appeared on the subject. After the survey of Islamic injunctions some of the
leading scholars have classified the objectives of Shariah into five categories:
- protection of religion,
- protection of reason,
- protection of life,
- protection of property and
- protection of progeny
No doubt, the list is very comprehensive, but, as Ibn Taymiyah says, the objectives are
not confined to these only.
Anything Islamically desirable becomes an objective of the Shariah. Promotion of the spirit of
Ijtihad may also be included in the list of Shariah objectives, or it may be put under the
objective of protection of reason, as only then Islam can properly respond to the changes
and challenges faced in any period.
81
iii. Knowledge of the Qur'an and the Sunnah: The Qur'an and the Sunnah are the basic
sources of Islam. Therefore no Ijtihad can be conceived without having their knowledge.
There are five hundred verses of the Qur‘an which consist of different rules (Ahkam). In
the opinion of some scholars, they must be known to a mujtahid. But it is better that the
inference of rules is not limited to those verses only. A mujtahid must have a general
perception of the whole Qur‘an.
As far as hadiths are concerned, their number is in the thousands and various authentic
collections have been prepared. A mujtahid must have studied at least one of them
thoroughly. He should be aware of different collections, their authors, their
characteristics, styles and categorization. He should be able to consult them on the issue
he is dealing with.
At present, it has become very easy to go through all verses, hadiths and opinions of
earlier scholars on a topic as rules and principles have been formulated and indexes have
been prepared to facilitate their consultation.
iv. Principles of jurisprudence are tools for deriving rules (Ahkam) from the Qur‘an and
Sunnah, and the jurisprudence is the sum total of such rules. The knowledge of these two
is always helpful with respect to inference of rules from the Qur‘an and Sunnah. The
principles of jurisprudence are easily accessible as they are available in a well-organized
form. We also have the fiqh of every school of jurisprudence available with their evidence
and arguments. Now it is possible to decide the most relevant and suitable opinion
through an unbiased comparative study of different rules.
v. A mujtahid should have the knowledge of nasikh and mansukh (abrogating and
abrogated), i.e., which one out of two contradictory and opposite texts is later in
revelation. This might have occurred due to change of a rule, replacement, withdrawal or
omission. It is not necessary to remember all such texts. But one must enquire the text
related to the concerned issue. Past scholars have done a lot of work about an-Nasikh, and
have listed all such verses and hadiths. Now it is not difficult to find it out anytime.
vi. The consensus of the Ulema or the experts of Shariah is in its own right a Shariah source
based on Ijtihad (by inference) - there are differences in opinions in its details. On this
topic too, various reference works are available. One can easily refer to them.
vii. Along with the knowledge of the Qur‘an and Sunnah, Ijma`, Naskh, opinions of the
companions of the Prophet and followers, and principles of jurisprudence, one has to
acquire sufficient knowledge of every aspect of the issue about which Ijtihad is required.
It has become more important especially in this age as the development in the field of
science, economy, politics and society in general has created complex problems that can
only be understood by experts. One may not be an expert in every field. To fulfil this
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(1) He have knowledge of Sacred Law, both in methodology and application,

both in areas of scholarly disagreement and adopted positions; and that
(2) He have all the tools that are needed for ijtihad; and that
(3) He know what he needs in order to derive legal rulings, such as grammar,
Arabic language, hadith narrators, and the explanation of Quranic verses and
hadiths and ahkam (plural of hukm – legal rulings) that are connected with legal
rulings.
Among the conditions of someone who seeks fatwa (‫المستفتي‬ ‫)شرط‬ is that he be
allowed to follow a mujtahid.
condition, a mujtahid must take the help of the specialist of the concerned field and get the
problem fully explained.
viii. Over and above all the aforementioned requirements, one must possess a natural skill
of Ijtihad — sharp intellect and penetrating insight - to analyse and infer the rule. This
instinct is not particular to any age. However the methodology of research and tools of
investigation developed in the modern age may help enhance this quality.
ix. Last but not least is skill in the Arabic language. The reason is clear. Original sources
of Shariah are in Arabic. Any Ijtihad without the working knowledge of Arabic cannot
enjoy authenticity and confidence. It may not receive the approval of others. This is so
because a very small portion of the tools of knowledge required for Ijtihad is available in
translation form. Moreover, very often the translation cannot fully convey the letter and
spirit of the text.
At present we find very advanced and scientific institutions teaching this official
language of Islam. New techniques have been developed to impart maximum knowledge
in a minimum period. In fact, hardly any original work can be done on Islam without the
knowledge of Arabic. One who is an aspirant to Ijtihad must begin with this.
Ijtihad should be encouraged and scholars should be trained for it. Those who have
instinct for it must acquire the tools necessary for it."
83
FOLLOWING (‫)التقلـــيد‬:
It is not permitted for a scholar to follow anyone else (‫)وليس للعالم أن يقلد‬99.
99According to our study, much of the debate on whether to do taqleed or not to do it, is
based on a lot of misunderstandings and confusions. The crux of the matter is that the
ruling is different for different people, based on their knowledge and skill-set, with little
significant difference between scholars on key principles.
Following explanation from Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan (al-Munajjid, 2015) summarizes the
whole matter behind taqleed in a very beautiful manner and is expected to clarify most
mis-understandings.
“People fall into four categories:
- The first category is those who are able to made ijtihad in absolute terms, by
referring directly to the Quran and Sunnah and deriving rulings from them, and
they do not follow any other scholars (taqleed).
This is the highest status, but this only applies to the one who fulfils the known
conditions of ijtihaad, by having knowledge of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of
the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and by having
knowledge of Arabic in which the Quran was revealed, and by having knowledge
of al-muhkam and al-mutashaabih (clear, unambiguous texts and ambiguous texts), al-
nasikh wa‟l-mansukh (texts which abrogate others and texts which are abrogated), al-
mutlaq wa‟l-muqayyad (texts with absolute meanings and texts with limited
meanings), al-khas wa‟l-„am (texts with specific meanings and texts with general
meanings). He should also have knowledge of how to derive rulings, meaning that
he should be qualified. Such a person may engage in ijtihaad. This category
includes people like the four imams – Abu Haneefah, Maalik, al-Shaafa‘i and
Ahmad – as well as Sufyaan al-Thawri and al-Awzaa‘i. To these people Allah gave
the ability to engage in ijtihaad.
- The second category is those who cannot engage in ijtihaad in absolute terms, but
they are able to weigh up the opinions of scholars and determine which is more
correct, because of their knowledge of which opinions are based on evidence and
which are not.
Such a person must follow that for which there is evidence, and shun that which
goes against the evidence. This action is called tarjeeh (weighing up what is more
correct) and is also known as al-ijtihaad al-madhhabi (ijtihaad based on the study
of different views).
84
- The third category is those who cannot engage in tarjeeh. Such a person is regarded
as one of the muqallideen (those who follow other scholars), but if he knows that
some opinion has no supporting evidence then he does not follow it. But so long as
he does not know and it is not clear to him that it is contrary to the evidence, there
is nothing wrong with him imitating and following the opinions of the trustworthy
scholars.
- The fourth category is the one who is unable to do any of the above; neither
ijtihaad in an absolute sense nor weighing what is more correct (i.e. tarjeeh) nor
following a specific madhhab, such as the ordinary Muslim, for example. Such a
person has to ask the people of knowledge, as Allah says (interpretation of the
meaning): ―So ask of those who know the Scripture, if you know not‖ [al-Nahl
16:43]. So he should ask the one who be believes is most trustworthy and the
scholar in whom he has the greatest confidence, of those whose knowledge and
actions he trusts, and follow his fatwa.
These are the categories of people with regard to this issue. What a person should do is
know what level he is at, and he should not put himself in a higher position than he
deserves. Indeed, the matter is more serious than that. He should fear Allah, because it is
the matter of halal and haram, of Paradise and Hell, so he should not indulge in matters
that he does not have the knowledge and skill to deal with (Excerpt from I‘aanah al-
Mustafeed bi Sharh Kitaab al-Tawheed)
Regarding the taqlid of scholars by laymen, Shaykh Muhammad al-Amin al-Shinqiti

wrote:
‗As for the permitted [type of] taqlid, which none from the Muslims contest, it is a
layman making taqlid of a scholar qualified to issue fatwas about the various
circumstances and issues one encounters. This type of taqlid was in vogue during the time
of the Prophet ‫ ;ﷺ‬no difference existed about its legality.‘ (2011 ,‫)الشىقيطي‬
Forbidding taqlid to even the lay people not only opposes scholarly consensus, and
therefore Sunni orthodoxy; but even more tragically, such a view has, historically, only
been associated with the innovators (ahl al-bid„ah such as hadith rejecters). Which is why
Ibn Qudamah r.a stated: ‗It is the view of some of the Qadarites that the lay people are
required to investigate the proofs, even in the detailed religious rulings (fur„). But this is
futile by consensus of the Companions.‘ (1993 ,‫)ابه قدامة المقدسي‬
We also see that those who are generally referred to as ‗muqalideen‘ also hold similar
views regard who is permissible to do taqlid and who is not. For example, Shaykh Tahir
Mahmood Kiani mentions:
85
Following (taqlid) means to accept someone‘s position without proof.
According to this definition, accepting the statement of the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬is also
following.100
Others say that following is to accept someone‘s position without knowing

what his position is based on. Based on this, if we say: The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬used to
judge based on qiyas. It is correct to say that someone who accepts his direction
is following him.101
―For a mujtahid, it is forbidden to follow the decisions of another mujtahid, with respect to
ijtihād, if such decision is not in compliance with his own, whereas for one who is not a
mujtahid, it is unlawful for him to practise ijtihad and to follow his own decisions due to
his lack of ‗ijtihadic‘ qualifications‖(Kiani, 2007).
It is, therefore clear that those who possess skill-set of Mujtahids should practice ijtihaad
and those who do not have such skill-set should refrain from it. Laymen can refer to
scholars that they trust (using the best of their judgement) for seeking guidance in the
matters of religion.
100Imam Al-Juvaini mentions this opinion here but in his other book on Usul, Al-Burhan,
he clarifies that following the word of Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬is not called taqleed as it
(his ‫ ﷺ‬statements and commands) is hujjah in itself (‫ )حجة في نفسه‬whereas the definition
of Taqlid is ―‫( ‖قبول قول القائل بال حجة‬1991 ,‫)عبد اهللا به صال الفوزان‬.
101As explained before, many scholars do not consider following the prophet as Taqleed
as his actions, approvals and speech are hujjah themselves.
Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Al-Uthaymeen expresses same opinion in his book ―Al-Usool
min 'Ilimil Usool‖ where he excludes the following from the domain of taqleed (al-
Uthaymin, 2013):
- Following the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬,
- Following the ijmaa
- Following the saying of the sahaabee (for those who consider the saying of a single
sahaabee to be a proof)
86
DILIGENT INQUIRY (IJTIHAD - ‫)االجتهـــاد‬:
Diligent inquiry (Ijtihad) is to go to the limits of one‘s ability to achieve one‘s

objective 102 . If a fully competent practitioner of diligent inquiry (qualified
mujtahid meeting the criteria mentioned before) inquires diligently into the
branches of law and judges correctly, his is a double reward. If he inquiries into
them diligently and errs, his is a single reward103.
Some say that all who inquire diligently into the branches of law judge
correctly, but it cannot be said that all who inquire diligently into theological
roots judge correctly, because that would require us to agree with those who
are in error, Christians and Magians and infidels and atheists104.
The proof of those who say that not all who exercise diligent inquiry
concerning the branches of law judge correctly, is that the Prophet said
―whoever inquires diligently and judges correctly, his is a double reward, and
whoever inquires diligently and errs, his is a single reward.‖
This is a proof because the Prophet declared the practitioner of diligent inquiry
to be in error in one instance, and affirmed him in another.
102 This is linguistic definition of Ijtihad i.e. to make utmost effort.
103Amr ibn Al-As reported: The Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬, peace and blessings be upon
him, said, ―If a judge makes a ruling, striving to apply his reasoning (ijtihad) and he is
correct, then he will have two rewards. If a judge makes a ruling, striving to apply his
reasoning and he is mistaken, then he will have one reward.‖ Source: Sahih Bukhari 6919,
Sahih Muslim 1716 (Muttafaqun Alayhi)
104Ijtihad in terms of Shariah is therefore accepted only from Mujtahids who are Muslim
and do ijtihaad with the right intentions while having the appropriate skill-set to
undertake this noble activity. If these conditions are not met, Ijtihad will not be considered
acceptable.
87
Allah is glorified, exalted and all knowing.

I humbly present this effort for acceptance to my Most Merciful and
Forgiving Lord.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Praise to Allah for its completion,

Then blessings of Allah and peace,
On the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬, his family and companions,
And his followers and every believer in him!
_______________________________________________________________________________________
88
APPENDIX 1: HADITH CLASSIFICATION
Source: (Dr. Suhaib Hasan, 1999)
The promise made by Allah(SWT) in Quran 15:9 is obviously fulfilled in the

undisputed purity of the Quranic text throughout the fourteen centuries since
its revelation. However, what is often forgotten by many Muslims is that the
divine promise also includes, by necessity, the Sunnah of the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬
because the Sunnah is the practical example of the implementation of the
Quranic guidance, the wisdom taught to the Prophet‫ ﷺ‬along with the
scripture, and neither the Quran nor the Sunnah can be understood correctly
without the other.
Allah(SWT) preserved the Sunnah by enabling the Companions and those after
them to memorize, write down and pass on the statements of the Prophet‫ﷺ‬,
and the descriptions of his way, as well as to continue the blessings of
practicing the Sunnah.
Later, as the purity of the knowledge of the Sunnah became threatened,

Allah(SWT) caused the Muslim Sunnah to produce individuals with exceptional
memory skills and analytical expertise, who travelled tirelessly to collect
thousands of narrations and distinguish the true words of prophetic wisdom
from those corrupted by weak memories, from forgeries by unscrupulous liars,
and from the statements of the large number of Ulema (scholars), the
89
Companions and those who followed their way. All of this was achieved
through precise attention to the words narrated, and detailed familiarity with
the biographies of the thousands of reporters of hadith.
The methodology of the expert scholars of hadith in assessing the narrations

and sorting out the genuine from the mistaken and fabricated, for ms the
subject matter of the science of hadith. In this article a brief discussion is given
of the terminology and classifications of hadith.
Components Of Hadith
A hadith is composed of three parts (see the figure [below]):
Matn (text), isnad (chain of reporters), and taraf (the part, or the beginning
sentence, of the text which refers to the sayings, actions or characteristics of the
Prophet‫ﷺ‬, or his concurrence with others action). The authenticity of
the hadith depends on the reliability of its reporters, and the linkage among
them.
Classifications Of Hadith
90
A number of classifications of hadith have been made. Five of these

classifications are shown in the figure [below], and are briefly described
subsequently.
91
1. According to the reference to a particular authority
Four types of hadith can be identified.
o Qudsi - Divine; a revelation from Allah(SWT); relayed with the words

of the Prophet‫ﷺ‬.
o Marfu` - elevated; a narration from the Prophet‫ﷺ‬, e.g., I heard the
Prophet‫ ﷺ‬saying ...

o Mauquf- stopped: a narration from a companion only, e.g., we were
commanded to ...
o Maqtu` - severed: a narration from a successor.
92
2. According to the links of isnad - interrupted or uninterrupted
Six categories can be identified.
o Musnad - supported: a hadith which is reported by a traditionalist,

based on what he learned from his teacher at a time of life suitable
for learning; similarly - in turn - for each teacher until
the isnad reaches a well-known companion, who in turn, reports
from the Prophet‫ﷺ‬.
o Muttasil - continuous: a hadith with an uninterrupted isnad which
goes back only to a companion or successor.
o Mursal - hurried: if the link between the successor and the
Prophet‫ ﷺ‬is missing, e.g., when a successor says "The Prophet
said...".
o Munqati` - broken: is a hadith whose link anywhere before the
successor (i.e., closer to the traditionalist recording the hadith) is
missing.
o Muàdal - perplexing: is a hadith whose reporter omits two or more
consecutive reporters in the isnad.
o Muàllaq - hanging: is a hadith whose reporter omits the
whole isnad and quotes the Prophet‫ ﷺ‬directly (i.e., the link is
missing at the beginning).
3. According to the number of reporters involved in each stage of isnad
Five categories of hadith can be identified:
93
o Mutawatir - Consecutive: is a hadith which is reported by such a

large number of people that they cannot be expected to agree upon
a lie, all of them together.
o Ahad - isolated: is a hadith which is narrated by people whose
number does not reach that of the mutawatir.
It is further classified into:

 Mash'hur - famous: hadith reported by more than two
reporters (and less then 10)
 Àziz - rare, strong: at any stage in the isnad, only two
reporters are found to narrate the hadith.
 Gharib - strange: At some stage of the isnad, only one
reporter is found relating it.
AZIZ
(Narrated by 2
companions)
AHAD AHADITH
(Narrated by
less than 10
companions)
GHARIB MASH'HUR
(narrated by
(narrated by1 between 3 and
companion) 9 companions)
Figure: Classification of Ahad narrations
94
4. According to the nature of the text and isnad

o Munkar - denounced: is a hadith which is reported by a weak
narrator, and whose narration goes against another
authentic hadith.
o Mudraj - interpolated: an addition by a reporter to the text of
the hadith being narrated.
5. According to the reliability and memory of the reporters
This provides the final verdict on a hadith - four categories can be

identified:
o Sahih - sound. Imam al-Shafiì states the following requirements for

a hadith, which is not Mutawatir, to be acceptable "each reporter
should be trustworthy in his religion; he should be known to be
truthful in his narrating, to understand what he narrates, to know
how a different expression can alter the meaning, and to report the
wording of the hadith verbatim, not only its meaning".
o Hasan - good: is the one where its source is known and its reporters
are unambiguous.
o Daìf - weak: a hadith which fails to reach the status of Hasan.
Usually, th e weakness is: a) one of discontinuity in the isnad, in
which case the hadith could be - according to the nature of the
discontinuity -
Munqati (broken), Muàllaq (hanging), Muàdal (perplexing),
95
or Mursal (hurried), or b) one of the reporters having a disparaged

character, such as due to his telling lies, excessive mistakes,
opposition to the narration of more reliable sources, involvement in
innovation, or ambiguity surrounding his person.
o Maudu` - fabricated or forged: is a hadith whose text goes against
the established norms of the Prophet's sayings, or its reporters
include a liar. Fabricated hadith are also recognized by external
evidence related to a discrepancy found in the dates or times of a
particular incident.
96
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Muhammad Nabeel Musharraf

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AUSTRALIAN ISLAMIC LIBRARY

‫قال رسول اهلل صىل اهلل عليه وسلم‬

Australian Islamic Library

THE WARAQAT OF IMAM AL-HARAMAYN AL-JUWAYNI, A CLASSICAL MANUAL OF USUL AL FIQH

First printed in: December 2015

Musharraf, M., N. (2015). “THE WARAQAT OF IMAM AL-HARAMAYN AL-JUWAYNI, A

In the compilation of this book, translations from

May Allah bless them all and raise their ranks.

IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGY ................................................................................................... 4

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAW AND LEGAL METHODOLOGY ............................. 15

TYPES OF REVELATORY RULINGS: ....................................................................................... 16

TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE: ........................................................................................ 29

SUBDIVISIONS (‫ )أبـواب‬OF THE DISCIPLINE: ....................................................... 32

USING LANGUAGE IN ITS LITERAL AND FIGURATIVE SENSES .................................. 34

TYPES OF SPEECH (‫)أقسام الكالم‬: ................................................................................................... 34

COMMANDS AND PROHIBITIONS ........................................................................................ 42

THOSE WHO ARE INCLUDED IN THE AUDIENCE OF COMMANDS AND

GENERAL AND SPECIFIC UTTERANCES ............................................................................. 47

GENERAL AND SPECIFIC UTTERANCES AND THEIR TYPES ........................................ 47

CLEAR (MUBAYYAN) AND UNCLEAR (MUJMAL) EXPRESSIONS ................................ 55

THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF PROPHETIC ACTIONS .................................................. 57

TYPES OF NASKH IN TERMS WHAT GETS ABROGATED: ............................................... 62

TYPES OF NASKH IN TERMS SOURCE FOR ABROGATION: ........................................... 63

DECODING APPARENT CONFLICTS (‫)التعارض‬: RECONCILIATION VS.

CONFLICT AND PREPONDERANCE ..................................................................................... 65

SCHOLARLY CONSENSUS (‫ )اإلجمــاع‬........................................................................................ 68

TRANSMITTED REPORTS (‫ )األخبــــار‬......................................................................................... 70

WORDING OF TRANSMITTED REPORTS: ............................................................................ 72

PROHIBITION, PERMISSION, AND THE PRESUMPTION OF CONTINUITY................ 77

PRIORITIZATION OF EVIDENCES AND PROOFS:.............................................................. 77

INDEPENDENT INTERPRETATION & FOLLOWING QUALIFIED SCHOLARSHIP .... 79

IJTIHAD, GIVING FATWA ......................................................................................................... 79

FOLLOWING (‫)التقلـــيد‬: .................................................................................................................. 84

DILIGENT INQUIRY (IJTIHAD - ‫)االجتهـــاد‬: ............................................................................... 87

APPENDIX 1: HADITH CLASSIFICATION ............................................................................ 89

CLASSIFICATIONS OF HADITH ............................................................................ 90

Usul al-Fiqh is a science dealing with Islamic jurisprudence and encompasses

AL-'AM: General AL-HAQAA'IQ : Real Facts; Real Meanings

AAQIL: Sane Person AL-HAZR: Prohibited

ADILLAH: Plural of daleel (proofs) AL-HIL: Allowed

AHAD: Solitary report-refers to any report that is not AL-ISHKAL: Problem

AHL AL-RA'Y: People of opinion; It is used to refer to AMR: Command

DHAHIR: Literal or obvious meanings HAQEEQAH: Reality

IJMA: Scholarly Consensus JAHL BASIT: Not having information regarding

ILLAH (‫)علة‬: Effective cause KHWARIJ: Separatists; Those of Ahl al-Bid‟aa

MADARASA: School; Place of education MASHHUR : Famous; Applied to a hadith, it refers to a

MAHZOOR: Prohibited MASNOON: Recommended

MAJAAZ: Figurative meaning MIQYAS: Scales

After the „Dharuriyyah‟ is fulfilled, there is the‟ MUJMAL: Comprehensive

MUJTAHID: Qualified to exercise ijtihad sometimes, with sunnah.

Jahmite Murji‟ism - Those who claim that Imaan is NAHY: Prohibition

MURSAL: Dispatched; A hadith of the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬ QATI‘I – Definite

MUSTAHABB or MUSTAHAB: Desirable; RAKAT OR RAKAH: One cycle of standing, bowing

RA'Y: Opinion or personal opinion; Personal reasoning Prophet Muhammad ‫)ﷺ‬

SAHABAH: Companions of Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ TAALIB AL-‗ILM: Seeker of knowledge